Peridot

Peridot (/ˈpɛrᵻdɒt/ or /ˈpɛrᵻdoʊ/) is gem-quality olivine. Olivine is a silicate mineral with the formula of (Mg, Fe)₂SiO₄. As peridot is the magnesium-rich variety (forsterite) the formula approaches Mg₂SiO₄.

Etymology

The origin of the name peridot is uncertain. The Oxford English Dictionary suggests an alteration of Anglo–Norman pedoretés (classical Latin pæderot-), a kind of opal, rather than the Arabic word faridat, meaning "gem".

The Middle English Dictionary's entry on peridot includes several variations : peridod, peritot, pelidod and pilidod – other variants substitute y for the i's seen here.

The earliest use in England is in the register of the St Albans Abbey, in Latin, and its translation in 1705 is possibly the first use of "peridot" in English. It records that on his death in 1245 Bishop John bequeathed various items including peridot to the Abbey.

Appearance

Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color, an olive-green. The intensity and tint of the green, however, depends on how much iron is contained in the crystal structure, so the color of individual peridot gems can vary from yellow to olive to brownish-green. The most valued color is a dark olive-green.

Peridot (disambiguation)

Peridot is a mineral.

Peridot may also refer to:

IBM Peridot (software)

Peridot is an IBM project developed by the Extreme Blue internship program to check web sites for broken links and assist in updating them. IBM has two patents (US 7290131  and US application 20040267726 ) on this technology.

See also

External links