Peridot & Ethiopian Opal Ring | Sterling Silver Burton’s Gems and Opals Outlet Stores

A Bit About The Piece:

Sterling silver ring with a large round peridot set between two pear shape cabochon cut Ethiopian fire opals.

Details, details…

The Center Stone: Peridot

• faceted round checkerboard cut
• stone measurements: 10mm

The Side Stones: Opal and Cubic Zirconia (CZ)

• 2 pear shape cabochon cut opals
• opal origin: Ethiopia
• opal brightness of color: 3 of 5
• opal measurements: 4mm x 6mm
• 55+ round cut CZs

The Setting: Cast Fancy Split Shank Prong Set Halo Ring

• .925 sterling silver, solid
• default size: 7.00
• 5.7 grams

About Peridot:

Peridot, a gem variety of “olivine,” was a stone coveted by ancient Egyptians and referred to as “topaz” for over a millennium.  This was not by mistake, either; peridot’s first discovery was on the island of Topazios (now St. John’s Island) in the Red Sea, circa 300 BC.  This island was infested with lethal snakes, making the gem very desirable due to its difficulty to obtain.  Over time, the island was cleared of snakes on pharaoh’s orders, and other deposits were discovered later.  The English word “peridot” was not first recorded until 1705, and the reason for this is still largely unknown.

Today, gem grade peridot comes from the Native American San Carlos Reservation in Arizona, as well as Sri Lanka, Myanmar (formerly Burma), and Pakistan.  A different variety of olivine similar to peridot, referred to as “forsterite,” is also known to be found in meteorite.  These meteorites are called “pallasites.”

Peridot is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs hardness scale.  Stones make excellent rings, but years of constant everyday wear will eventually go noticed.  Peridot jewelry is safe to put in chemical jewelry cleaner, but we strongly advise against steam cleaning or putting peridot jewelry into an ultrasonic cleaning machine.  These can cause stones to break.  When in doubt, it is always safe to clean peridot jewelry with mild to warm water, soap, and a soft bristled toothbrush.