What is Peridot?

Peridot is a variety of olivine. It is part of the orthorhombic crystal system and has a vitreous luster. Peridot is rich in magnesium and has an iron content that gives the gem its green coloring. The shades of Peridot range from yellow-green to olive green and dark green. The meaning of Peridot is purpose and focus.

The Secrets of Peridot 

A glimmer of green like sunlight through the trees, Peridot is a prized gemstone known for its summer spirit, its good-luck vibes, and its uncanny ability to keep you calm and feeling safe no matter what is going on around you. The twinkling green hue was a fave of Cleopatra, she loved to adorn herself in the Emerald of the Evening stone. But even beyond ancient times and tales of Egyptian queens, Peridot has a long and fabled history when it comes to being revered by those in power. High priests and kings were also smitten by this lustrous gem said to ward off evil spirits. 

Peridot comes from an island in the Red Sea, close to the Pharaoh shores of Egypt. In the Greek tongue, the island was called Topazios, which is their name for Peridot. On this remote island is where miners would send their singing hammers to search out this precious stone, ready to adorn the deathbeds of Egyptian royalty. The island was strictly off-limits and anyone stepping foot there would be punished with death. But Peridot saw out the ages and survived, with its slick luster and a playful smattering of light.

Pretty Peridot crystals come in a range of glimmering greens – from golden to olive green and even a splash of lime green from the olivine. While sometimes referred to as ‘the poor man's emerald’, there is nothing modest or humble about this lively bright stone. Born from fire and raw energy from the earth's core, Peridot can be traced back to the volcanic cracks of Oahu in Hawaii. The island where sunlight soaks the verdant lands and everything brims and bubbles over with the beauty of life. Far from the flow of the Red Sea and the fire of Hawaii's lava, Peridot can also be found in Brazil, Pakistan, and even Australia.

This gift from the heart of Mother Nature comes with a ton of healing properties. Deep-set calm, good health, restful slumbering, and restoring balance and harmony to the body, mind and soul are just a handful of things you can expect when you say yes to Peridot. Let’s dive a little deeper and discover what secrets this gemstone has to share, here's all you need to know about crystal healing and Peridot meaning...

Check out our comprehensive healing crystal guide here! 

Peridot Healing Properties

Pure of heart, bringer of light, and never shying away from its playful side, Peridot is always the belle of the ball. This gorgeous gemstone is connected to the heart chakra and is always ready to help crack your love wide open so you can share in the sublime joy of the universe. To open the heart, it's important to loosen your grip on anxiety, to let go of envious thoughts, and to let clarity lead the way out of old barren fields and into bright and sunny new pastures. Here are all the magical elements of the piece of Chrysolite sometimes known as the evening emerald…

Physical Healing Properties

Physicians of the old world believed that Peridot was a natural healer when it came to the liver, the gall bladder and digestion problems. Perhaps due to its green color, the stone was synonymous with the idea of detoxing. Peridot is a perfect tonic for good health, especially when it comes to healing and regenerating cells and tissue, bringing strength and speed to metabolism, and helping the adrenal and endocrine systems. This gem is also used to help treat skin problems and is said to be a dab hand at clearing up rashes and bringing a healthy glow back to the face. It can also be used to reduce the fire of fever and can even reduce the burning inner pain that comes when giving birth thanks to its ability to soothe sore muscle contractions.

Mental & Emotional Healing Properties

A bringer of life and light, Peridot truly blooms into its own when it comes to mental and emotional healing properties. One of the most potent healing crystals, Peridot is sure to stabilize your moods and encourage you to bask in the glow of a life well-lived. For those who need a little help in letting go of egocentric behaviors such as jealousy, resentment and spite, Peridot invites you to put down all that weighty baggage and go empty-handed and pure of heart out into the world. It is such a great stone at encouraging you to let it all go and rid yourself of problematic behavior patterns that don’t serve anyone and simply clog up space in the heart.

As Peridot is busy washing out all those negative emotions, it can be a great stone to alleviate stress and anxiety. When we are marred by jealousy, resentment, bitterness and holding into baggage and grudges, our whole body and mind can tip over into anxious thinking. This way of affecting sleep, wellness, and emotional balance as a whole. As the twinkling green gemstone invites you to purge your heart and soul, it leaves a lightness that feels like stepping into sheer sunlight.

Peridot is also sometimes called The Study Stone, thanks to its innate ability to invite the mind to focus. If you find that when you sit down to do something a thousand threads keep distracting you, this could be the perfect companion to set your mind on getting the job done. This is a gemstone that gives you the focus and energy you need to persevere so matter how taxing a task. It’s a great stone to have when you are faced with an academic challenge that needs to be solved.

Metaphysical Properties

Being a stone that connects to both the heart chakra and the solar plexus chakra gives you a great foundation to find your balance and stability in the storms of the world. The solar plexus chakra is the core of who we are. It’s the ego, the willpower, the pleasure center and where you build a sense of who you are. Unsurprisingly, if this system is out of whack it can have a knock-on effect to your whole sense of health and wellbeing. When this chakra is blocked you may lose all sense of purpose and motivation and slump down into a rut as life passes you by. By using Peridot to awaken and clear out the chakra, you could just get that glorious bright burst of energy and direction you’ve been waiting for.

Peridot is also connected to the heart chakra, AKA the place where your love and trust sits. If your heart chakra is blocked, you may struggle to build better relationships, you may be unable to let your love leap higher, instead of pinning it down with destructive ideas of jealousy and fear. But fear not, a dose of Peridot in your life and your heart can shine like a light.

Zodiac Birthstone

Leo and Virgo share the Peridot stone. Being the birthstone of the month of August, it’s no surprise that this gleaming gem is a soft reminder of summer nights. While cool to the touch in the daylight hours, it burns as bright as hot coal come the eve and is ruled by the planet Mercury. Virgos are kind and creative and full of passion, but they can also be super judgmental and quick to criticize especially when they lose a little control as they love to lead the room. Peridot helps Virgos to simply let go, to lay down their discriminatory nature and to welcome love and understanding into their heart.

Leo’s too can benefit from bringing a beautiful piece of Peridot into their life. Equally warm, fierce and always ready to leave a blazing trail, Peridot is a perfect match for the Leo who always lights up the room. The crystal comes in handy when tempering their possessive spirit, a must for learning to let trust grow from seed to bloom and share relationships that bring endless peaks of positivity.

Using Peridot

Check out our healing Peridot Bracelet! 

Peridot comes with a glut of gorgeous healing properties, but its equal measures of beauty and brains. This pretty stone looks stunning in jewelry designs and works wonders when placed in the home as part of your Feng Shui set up. The gem-quality can be a little brittle, as Peridot rather than being as hard as a nail, is soft like the sway of the trees. If choosing Peridot as part of your gemstone jewelry, carefully consider how to keep it safe from the most rugged excursions. For those looking to bring out the very best in their beautiful personalities, this is how you can welcome the sparkle of Peridot into your world…

Home & Office 

Peridot is a perfect accompaniment to the practice of Feng Shui as it brings joy, compassion and more than its fair share of harmony – the pillars anyone would wish for when creating a happy home. As this stone is born from the volcanic fires of intensity, it knows exactly how to handle those high doses of emotion which can sometimes run rampant in a shared house. It’s a great stone to place around communal areas as it mops up those negative vibes and invites everyone to bask in the pleasure of each other’s company free from drama. These good vibes seep into the office space too so for those wanting to bring creative and harmonious conditions to their work zone, a Peridot talisman goes a long way when it comes to bringing the peace.

Jewelry

Peridot jewelry is one of the most enchanting ways to wear precious gems, especially if you want to soak up all those potent properties with direct skin on stone contact. Wearing Peridot jewelry infuses the soul with those highly coveted healing vibrations as there is no block between the energy of the body and the stone.

Fortunately, Peridot is one of the prettiest gemstones to add to your jewelry collection. The flash of green brings sheer joy, the color slots beautifully in with just about every shade imaginable, and it bridges that gap between the emotional healer and sparkling fashion. Peridot bracelets bring a beautiful flash of color to the wrist and stay close enough beating against the pulse to bring that beautiful flush of positive intention and change.

If you want to select stones to perfectly complement your Peridot, you can bring Garnet with its fiery spirit to balance the earth or turn to the beautiful banded chalcedony of Agate and even Topaz. 

How to Cleanse Peridot

Keeping your Peridot gemstones in pristine condition is essential to keep the energy running high and smooth. Regularly cleansing your crystals is a great way of removing stuck toxic vibes and can make sure that the gems not only retain their luster but also their strength. As mentioned, Peridot doesn’t like a rough go of it. While not a fragile stone and not a gem that needs a fuss, it doesn’t like to be bashed and clattered. Keep it out of extreme temperature changes if you can, and when it comes to cleansing just a little warm and soapy water should do the trick. Always make sure you rinse the soap away and if you want that extra burst of recharged energy, you should leave it out in direct moonlight to let Mother Earth continue her work. Crystals are spellbound by elemental energy and as Peridot is an earth stone it adores the kiss of the sun, the moon, the water and the soil from which life springs up.

Geological Properties

Final Thoughts on Peridot

Pretty, full of infinite possibility and ever ready to lend that strength in daily small doses, owning a Peridot stone means that you are working on your emotional soul every moment of the day – without even noticing it. For those who just crave a little more balance, who want to trust their heart, and who are tired of battling with those inner demons of judgement and jealousy – this gemstone will wrap your whole self in the sunlight of soft joy. Let the shadows fall away as you step out into the golden light of summer with the yellow-green gleam of Peridot.

What are your thoughts on Peridot? Does it call to you? Share your thoughts on this earthy green stone in the comments.