Peridot facts for kids
Peridot (pronounced "pair-uh-dot" or "pair-uh-doe") is the gem quality version of the mineral olivine. The name of the gemstone is believed to come from either the Arabic word faridat meaning "gem" or the French word peritot meaning "unclear." Peridot is one of the few gemstones that comes in only one color. The darkness of the green depends on how much iron there is. The color varies from yellow-green to olive to brownish green. Olivine is a very common mineral, but gem-quality peridot is rather rare. Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August.Peridot is believed to bring good health,restful sleep and peace to relations by balancing emotions and mind.
Images for kids
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The atomic scale structure of olivine looking along the a axis. Oxygen is shown in red, silicon in pink, and magnesium/iron in blue. A projection of the unit cell is shown by the black rectangle.
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Pallasite meteorite with olive-green peridot crystals, found in Fukang, China.
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Peridot from the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona.
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Olive green peridot
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Peridot with milky inclusions
See also
In Spanish: Peridoto para niños
