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Peridot

Peridot is the gem variety of olivine and grows in one colour family, green, from yellowish green to a rich grass green. Its colour comes from iron in the crystal itself, so fine peridot is sold untreated, and large clean stones of good colour are genuinely scarce. Byrex Gems offers loose peridot to the jewellery trade from Toronto, filmed unedited, with prices for approved buyers and viewings by appointment.

Where to buy peridot in Toronto

Byrex Gems lists 3 peridot online today. It comes with a GRS report. Viewings are at our Toronto office, 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, steps from Queen subway station, by appointment. We have supplied coloured gemstones and natural fancy colour diamonds to jewellers and designers since 1988, and welcome private clients by appointment. Prices are shown to approved trade accounts; private clients can ask us on WhatsApp, where we reply within 12 hours, or by email within 24 hours. Every stone ships insured, worldwide.

Among the peridot listed today: 28.67 ct Round Peridot, 23.22 ct Cushion Peridot, GRS, Burma, 9.47 ct Cushion Peridot, Burma Unheated.

What is peridot and where does it come from?

Peridot is the gem variety of olivine, a magnesium iron silicate that crystallises deep in the earth's mantle and reaches the surface in volcanic rock. It is one of the few gems that occurs in essentially one colour family: green, from yellowish green to a rich grass green. The colour comes from iron in the crystal itself rather than from a trace impurity, so it is stable and needs no treatment. Peridot is strongly doubly refractive, and in larger stones the doubling of the back facets can be seen through the table. Hardness is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale.

The island of Zabargad in the Red Sea supplied peridot to the ancient world and is still the name collectors associate with old fine stones. Myanmar, from deposits near Mogok, has long produced large stones of a deep, saturated green. Pakistan's Sapat valley, in the Kohistan district, yielded clean, vivid stones in sizes rarely seen before when it was discovered in the 1990s. The San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona supplies much of the world's commercial peridot in smaller sizes, and China, Vietnam and Tanzania also produce gem material.

How laboratories describe peridot

A report identifies the stone as natural peridot and comments on treatment. Treatment is uncommon: most peridot is sold as mined, and reports usually state that no indications of treatment were found. Where fractures in commercial material have been filled, the laboratory says so in its own wording.

Several laboratories, including GRS, SSEF and Gübelin, offer origin opinions for peridot on request, given as a country such as Myanmar or Pakistan, based on inclusions and trace-element chemistry. Reports sometimes record origin as inconclusive.

What to check before buying a peridot

Look first at colour. The most sought-after peridot is a pure, saturated green with only a slight yellow note and no brown; stones with more iron turn olive or brownish and are worth less. Peridot holds its colour well under both daylight and warm indoor light, which makes it easy to judge.

The characteristic inclusions are small disc-shaped stress fractures, known in the trade as lily pads, often around a tiny crystal. A few are normal; a large or eye-visible one lowers value. Because the stone is strongly doubly refractive, a well-oriented cut keeps the doubling from blurring the face.

Clean, fine-coloured peridot above ten carats is uncommon, and most large fine stones come from Myanmar or Pakistan. For setting, peridot is softer than sapphire and spinel and is sensitive to sudden heat and to acids, so it should be kept away from the torch and pickling solution at the bench, and set with protective settings in rings worn every day.

What drives the value of a peridot

Colour is the main factor: a vivid grass green without brown sits at the top. Size multiplies value, because fine colour in large clean stones is rare; prices per carat rise steeply above roughly ten carats. Clarity matters more than in emerald, because good peridot is usually eye-clean. A Burmese or Pakistani origin opinion supports a premium on large stones, and an unheated, untreated stone is the expected standard rather than a premium. Cut quality decides how well the colour shows across the face.

Peridot in history

Peridot from Zabargad was traded around the Mediterranean for more than three thousand years. Much of what ancient writers called topazos is now thought to have been peridot from that island, and some historians believe stones once described as emeralds in Egyptian and medieval collections were peridot as well. Peridot is also one of the very few gems known from outside the earth: crystals of olivine occur in pallasite meteorites. Today it is the August birthstone, alongside spinel and sardonyx.

Buying peridot from Byrex Gems

Byrex Gems has been in Toronto since 1988, and more than seven thousand trade customers in Canada and abroad have bought from us. Our larger peridots include stones with GRS reports, and all of them are filmed in our office, unedited and unfiltered.

Approved trade buyers see prices online. Others may write at any hour: WhatsApp +1 (437) 450-3786 is answered within hours and email to info@byrex.com the same day, seven days a week. What is listed is a part of what we hold, and what we do not hold ourselves we can source through our offices worldwide. Private viewings are arranged by appointment in Toronto, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Dubai.

Peridot: questions buyers ask

Is peridot usually treated?

No. Peridot's green comes from iron in the crystal itself, so it is not heated to improve colour. Most stones are sold as mined, and laboratory reports usually state that no indications of treatment were found.

What colour of peridot is most valuable?

A pure, saturated grass green with only a slight yellow note and no brown. Stones that lean olive or brownish, usually because they contain more iron, are valued lower.

Where does the finest large peridot come from?

Myanmar, from deposits near Mogok, and the Sapat valley in Pakistan are known for large stones of fine colour and clarity. Zabargad in the Red Sea was the historic source. Arizona supplies much of the commercial peridot in smaller sizes.

Is peridot durable enough for a ring?

Peridot is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, softer than sapphire or spinel, and sensitive to sudden heat and acids. It suits rings with protective settings and is ideal for earrings, pendants and occasional-wear rings.

Which reports does Byrex supply with peridot?

Depending on the stone, GRS, GIA, SSEF or Gübelin. Reports confirm natural peridot, comment on treatment and, where requested, give an origin opinion as a country. The report number appears on each stone page.

Can I see peridot in person in Toronto?

Yes, by appointment at 27 Queen Street East, Suite 407, Toronto. Each peridot is filmed unedited so the video matches the stone on the tray, and the laboratory report is available to examine alongside it.

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