Verified Peridot dealers & buying guide

Peridot is among the small number of gems that occur in one colour only. The stone is the gem form of the mineral olivine, and its green always carries a distinct yellow component; the depth of that green depends chiefly on iron content and on size, since larger stones hold colour more convincingly than small ones.

Where peridot comes from

The historic source is Zabargad island in the Red Sea, long exhausted. Today the trade draws on Sapat Gali in Pakistan, which yields the finest large crystals, alongside Myanmar, China and the San Carlos reservation in Arizona. Pakistani material above ten carats with a clean, saturated green commands a clear premium over the smaller Chinese production that fills most commercial parcels.

Treatments and certification

Peridot is not routinely treated. Heat does not improve it and no accepted enhancement exists, so a listing that declares no treatment is stating the norm rather than making a claim. Laboratory reports are uncommon for commercial sizes, though larger Pakistani stones increasingly travel with origin opinions from the major laboratories. Buyers should still expect a written treatment declaration on every stone.

What to look for

Judge peridot on the purity of its green, the absence of brownish tones, and eye cleanliness; lily pad inclusions are characteristic and acceptable when discreet. Cutting matters, as shallow stones lose colour quickly. Because values are moderate, well cut stones with fine colour cost little more than average ones, which rewards patient comparison.

How GemsVerified fits in

GemsVerified verifies dealers rather than individual stones. The peridot dealers listed here have had their legitimacy, certification practice and disclosure standards checked, so the declarations that accompany their stones can be weighed with more confidence. Compare listed stones by carat, cut and declared treatment before making contact.