Peridot
August's birthstone, the olive-green "gem of the sun". Egyptian priests mined Zabargad island 3500 years ago; today Arizona's San Carlos Apache reservation supplies most stones, while Myanmar's Mogok yields the finest large crystals — some from meteorites with nickel-iron.
Known origins & mines
San Carlos Apache Peridot · United States
Basalt mesa fields on the San Carlos Apache reservation supply most world peridot — tribal-licensed digging yields olive gems from volcanic …
Zabargad Island · Egypt
The ancient "Serpent Isle" mined for pharaohs since 1500 BC — Cleopatra's "emeralds" were likely Zabargad peridot. Exhausted workings on the…
Ham Rong Gia Lai Basalt Fields · Vietnam
Central Highlands basalt plateaus yield over 100 kg of peridot monthly since 1990s discoveries — GIA recognizes Vietnam as an important inte…
Mogok Peridot Slopes · Myanmar
Mogok's marble hills yield the richest green peridot with silky luster — large clean crystals command top Asian auction prices alongside the…
Sapat Gall Naran · Pakistan
The 1990s Sapat discovery in Kohistan mountains produced the finest large peridot ever seen — flawless lime-green crystals to hundreds of ca…