Peridot

"You don't understand! I'm protecting a planet I was once trying to destroy! I used to follow every order. Every rule. Now I'm a traitor. A rebel! A Crystal Gem!"

"Peridot" (specifically Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG), is currently a member of the Crystal Gems who made her debut in "Warp Tour". She was originally a Homeworld Gem technician and a certified Kindergartener. After being stranded on Earth following the events of "Jail Break", she acted as a recurring antagonist until establishing a truce with the Crystal Gems in "When It Rains" to help them save the Earth from the Cluster. She officially became a member of the Crystal Gems in "Message Received", after she defied and insulted her Homeworld superior, Yellow Diamond.

Appearance
Peridot has lime-green skin, and pale yellow-green hair styled into a tetrahedron shape. Her true eye color is unknown at this time, due to being tinted by her visor, but can be presumed to be some shade of green. Her mouth and tongue are blue. Her gemstone is located on her forehead, and is shaped like an inverted triangle with flattened corners.

In all of her appearances to date, she wears a sleeveless green V-neck uniform. Her suit is mostly medium green, with a dark-green diamond outline around the cut-out of her neck area, meeting together to form the Yellow Diamond insignia at her solar plexus, with a dark-green portion between her chest and leggings. Her leggings feature yellow diamond-shaped kneepads. She is never seen without her visor, which covers the top half of her face and tints her eyes yellow-green.

From her first appearance in "Warp Tour", Peridot wore limb enhancers, which have been disposed of as of "Catch and Release". These artificial extensions are bright green and flare out toward the wrists and ankles, which are colored a very dark green. The arm enhancers also feature artificial fingers which are not directly attached, but instead levitate around where the palms would be. The leg enhancers serve to enhance her height; without them, she is only about as tall as Ruby and Sapphire and slightly taller than Steven.

After her regeneration in "Catch and Release" Peridot's design shows no change, with the exception of her limb enhancers. However, her hair is slightly more frayed at the corners, depending on how she stands.

Personality
Initially, Peridot was shown to be morose and ruthless. She is skilled with Gem technology and works for the Homeworld Gems as a technician and takes her work seriously, crushing one of her Robonoids underfoot when it was minimally damaged and useless to her in her first appearance during "Warp Tour". In "Marble Madness", she briefly interacts with Steven, questioning him about the current state of Earth before losing interest and attempting to crush him. When the Crystal Gems intervene and reveal themselves, Peridot is shocked and flustered. Peridot also seems to be a bit stubborn. This is shown when she realizes that the Crystal Gems were the ones that have been destroying her equipment, she quickly loses her temper and asks "Why do you keep destroying my things?!".

Since "Jail Break", Peridot became increasingly frantic in her attempts to contact Homeworld and stop the Crystal Gems interfering with her mission, as she realized that the Cluster will emerge and that, when it does, it will obliterate all life on Earth. In "Keeping it Together", for example, when flying away with her helicopter fingers, she smiles down and laughs hysterically, and her facial expressions are exaggerated throughout the episode. In "Cry for Help", Peridot interrupts Crying Breakfast Friends! and all other television signals with her own broadcast from the Communication Hub begging Yellow Diamond to rescue her.

In "Catch and Release", Peridot kidnaps Steven with the hope he'll be able to fix the Homeworld Warp. When he can't, Peridot becomes hysterical and eventually breaks down with the realization she's stuck on Earth with the Cluster. Before she can elaborate, the Crystal Gems arrive and disarm, poof, and bubble her. After reforming into her natural self with no armor, Peridot is actually rather diminutive and she becomes very juvenile and paranoid, assuming that harmless household items are "weapons" and that every action from the Crystal Gems is driven by hostility. However, once comforted by Steven, she becomes much more relaxed and cooperative, although she still refuses to cooperate with the Gems and sequesters herself in Steven's bathroom.

Peridot is very naive when it comes to Earth, especially when the information is not relevant to her mission. She was unaware of the existence of rain or thunderstorms, believed that Steven was a member of a species called "Stevens" because that's what he called himself, and in "Catch and Release", she believed Steven's bathroom to be an archaic think chamber and almost everything in the bathroom to be a weapon. Curiously, she is familiar with the scent of citrus fruit despite her general ignorance of Earth. She is also socially oblivious as she tends to offend all of the Crystal Gems at some point due to her keeping to the Homeworld social hierarchy. Despite her overall unawareness of Earth, she has said that she finds organic life fascinating and is willing to defend the planet from the Cluster and Yellow Diamond.

Peridot has been shown to be incredibly stubborn, as it takes several attempts from the Crystal Gems for Peridot to even discuss the Cluster. Often when working, Peridot insists things be done her way and despises compromising. When she does cooperate, it typically takes some persuasion from Steven. She also continues to keep her log, despite the task being a moot point, more or less for a sense of normalcy. She also is vocal and honest about her viewpoints and will bluntly state what is on her mind regardless of the audience. Her statements have put her in harms way on several occasions, whether by the Crystal Gems or her Homeworld superiors. She does take responsibility for what she says and has learned how to keep some of her more offensive opinions to herself. Her recent behavior around the Crystal Gems has shown that she has opened herself up to new ideas and beliefs.

Peridot is incredibly dedicated and somewhat possessive, occasionally to the point of obsession. She becomes visibly upset when she discovers that others have damaged her things and is emotionally attached to her mechanical foot, as it's her only remaining part of her limb enhancers. Peridot is also loyal towards people she respects, as she was driven to complete her mission and return to Homeworld despite no contact from Yellow Diamond and has been shown to cling to Steven when she is scared. However, after realizing that now she is stuck on the Earth without any form of escape, she decides to betray Homeworld and destroy the Cluster with the help of Steven and the Crystal Gems. In "Message Received", after managing to contact Yellow Diamond and pleading for the Earth to be spared, she realized her perspective of her leader has changed and she saw her as the cruel and callous tyrant she is. Peridot then rebels against Yellow Diamond's wishes, cementing her loyalty to the Crystal Gems.

Peridot still clings to the Homeworld's social dogma. In "Back to the Barn", Peridot acts very condescendingly towards Pearl due to her position in Homeworld's caste system as a made-to-order servant. She refuses to acknowledge Pearl's skill as a technician for this reason. After a competition between self-built robots, however, Peridot concedes that she may have been wrong. In "Too Far", Peridot shows a strong aversion to fusion, similar to Jasper, referring to Garnet as a "permafusion", and in "Catch and Release" she refers to Garnet as a "filthy war machine" due to the Homeworld belief that fusion should only be used for combat. Peridot has also stated that Garnet makes her "incredibly uncomfortable". Peridot does try to appeal to Amethyst's favor, as she sees Amethyst as the closest thing to a "normal" Gem, by getting her to laugh despite Peridot being incredibly socially oblivious and unfamiliar with the concept of humor. Peridot does feel bad when she unknowingly hurts Amethyst's feelings but is confused until Steven explains it. Peridot has a difficult time apologizing for her behavior but is willing to. It is shown in "It Could've Been Great" that while she likes to follow the rules she gets slightly excited when she breaks them (e.g. sitting in an elite Gem's seat.) During her time with Steven and the Crystal Gems, she begins to realize that Homeworld's philosophy is very flawed, and she defects as a member of the Crystal Gems.

Peridot is extremely self-absorbed, which leads her to continually underestimate the Gems. Even after defecting to aid the Crystal Gems, she thinks mainly of her own needs. Many of her childlike behaviors, particularly her temper and arrogance, stem from her over-inflated ego. This is not to say Peridot is incapable of putting others above herself; she is just not used to having others who are willing to do the same for her. The same behavior extends to her admitting something personal. As she spends more time on Earth, Peridot has started developing a more gracious and compassionate attitude.

Peridot prioritizes logic, reason, and objectivity above emotions, while also displaying natural curiosity and a great desire to learn and understand. She is great at problem-solving as she uses her own observations and experiments to make a conclusion, though her experiments are sometimes ill-conceived. Peridot feels that a practical and systematic approach is the correct way to do things while thinking the Crystal Gems are insane for relying on their emotions, particularly when they chose to relax despite imminent danger. Her logical mind tends to put Peridot at odds with the rest of the Gems and has caused her difficulty with communicating. Peridot's reasoning led her to contact Yellow Diamond in an attempt to persuade her to protect the Earth, but ultimately decided to betray Homeworld. When a cause is important to her, Peridot can be just as emotionally charged as the rest of the Crystal Gems.

Abilities
While Peridot presumably possesses standard Gem abilities and traits, most of Peridot's observed "abilities" stemmed from her Limb Enhancers.

However, even with her limb enhancers, Peridot possesses very little physical strength and has difficulty just lifting Steven and pieces of a Warp Pad normally. In "When It Rains", she failed to remove a panel from a Prime Kindergarten Control Room wall, which Steven removed with relative ease. Despite lacking the super-human strength seemingly common to Gems, she does possess the same levels of extreme durability — in "Keeping it Together" she is able to easily shrug off having a heavy piece of Kindergarten machinery come crashing down on her without "poofing".

Peridot is extremely proficient with Gem technology, being a "certified Kindergartner " she is able to operate a Kindergarten and she has enough experience to pilot a Gem Warship and in "Jail Break", Peridot is seen briefly interfacing with her ships controls, setting a course to the Gem Homeworld.

Peridot has a variety of evasion tactics, such as her "finger copter" and wall-walking displayed in "Keeping it Together". She is also surprisingly nimble, able to avoid most attacks during her confrontation with the Gems in "Friend Ship" by using her fingers as an alternative to walking. However, Peridot has little to no skills in hand-to-hand combat, and has been reliant on her Limb Enhancers for self-defense. In Catch and Release, her only tactic was that she kept slapping Steven only after realizing it hurt him. Peridot has demonstrated some electrokinetic abilities in the past, though it is uncertain if this is a natural power or stems from her limb enhancers.

Peridot has some construction skills, as she managed to rebuild the Communication Hub to a usable state and was seen trying to fix a Warp Pad. In "Back to the Barn", she demonstrates this by building a robot that was able to hold its own and take down Pearl's robot in a fight.

Unique Abilities

 * Photokinesis: "It Could've Been Great" Peridot is shown using her gemstone to project green light, like a flashlight. It is the first natural Gem ability she has been shown to use.

Additional Tools

 * Gem Destabilizer: In "Jail Break", Peridot wields a Gem Destabilizer, an extremely potent but non-lethal tool used to subdue enemy Gems.
 * Robonoids: Peridot can control different types of spherical robots known as Robonoids. There are three types of known Robonoids: Flask, Plug and Hand. They can perform multiple functions, such as fixing a Warp Pad and activating Kindergarten.
 * EMP device: In "Warp Tour ", Peridot placed a device on the Galaxy Warp Pad before she left Earth. About three seconds after being placed, the device explodes, disabling all of her Robonoids. The device seems to be highly advanced, as Pearl's pulse bomb in "Political Power" (which appears to be made from human technology) was unable to disable even a single Robonoid.
 * Limb Enhancers: Mechanical body extensions Peridot has worn since her debut until she is caught by the Crystal Gems in "Catch and Release".
 * Anatomical Separation: Peridot can separate sections of her limb enhancers by touching a lime-colored button at the zone she wants to remove.
 * Blaster: Peridot can transform her fingers of her right arm into a blaster which can charge and fire an electrified energy ball which explodes on impact. Charging it for a second produces a shot powerful enough to blast through the ceiling of the Ancient Gem Colony Ship. Charging it for several seconds produces a large shot which can knock down a thick stone pillar, and has enough recoil to knock Peridot onto her back.
 * Holographic Interface: Peridot can project a holographic touchscreen from the fingers of her right hand, in which she can control and connect to different forms of Gem technology.
 * Tractor Beam: Peridot can produce a light-green tractor beam from her left hand to move objects/people.
 * Wall-Scaling: Peridot can freely run up vertical walls without falling.
 * Helicopter Fingers: Peridot can expand the fingers of either hand and spin them rapidly enough to fly.

Crystal Gems
At first, the Crystal Gems didn't know who Peridot was, but they all (except Steven) seemed to be afraid of her (as shown when they hide from her in "Warp Tour" and "Marble Madness"), though it might have been due to the fact that none of them knew what she was capable of. Likewise, Peridot wasn't aware that any Gems remained on Earth, much less the Crystal Gems, as she was quite shocked to find them still alive. In "The Message", Lapis Lazuli told the Crystal Gems that a Gem with advanced technology (whom Pearl assumed to be Peridot) would be bringing an army to Earth and that they should surrender, as it would be much easier. In "Joy Ride", Garnet does seem to have a bitter resentment after the events of "Jail Break", as she and the other Crystal Gems relentlessly attacked and beat her Escape Pod when they thought she was inside. In "Keeping it Together", she feared them and called them "Crystal Clods", running from them in shock, and only fought back when tied up. In "Friend Ship", she mocked the Crystal Gems, thinking she was superior to them. She led them into her traps, and tricked them into believing that she was there. This eventually led to her escaping with one less foot. After the events of "Catch and Release", Peridot took up residence in their bathroom. After an encounter with fusion monsters, she begrudgingly became willing to cooperate with the Crystal Gems. In "Too Far", she reveals that she finds everything about the Crystal Gems as backwards and defective, from Garnet's harmonious fusion (which makes her uncomfortable) to Amethyst's status as a Gem. Peridot admits she finds it very confusing but she reveals she also sees herself as defective because of her failed mission and traitor status. Though she states she does not fully comprehend the Crystal Gems ways, she actually wants to understand. Peridot eventually begins to understand the Gems reasons for protecting the Earth, and begins to get along with the rest of the Gems. When Peridot eventually manages to make contact with Yellow Diamond, she leaves out the Crystal Gem's interference, and afterwards attempts to convince Yellow Diamond about the value of Earth. When that fails, she openly refuses to follow Homeworld's orders, an action that Steven exclaimed to make her a Crystal Gem "whether she liked it or not", to which Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl openly agree to. Prior to Peridot's official induction as a Crystal Gem, she was shown to get along with the members as seen in "Message Received" and "Log Date 7 15 2" with or without Steven. Peridot's desire to learn helped her build a connection with the rest of the group.

Steven Universe
Peridot was initially dismissive of Steven, viewing him as less than a threat and more of a nuisance, causing her to underestimate him on numerous occasions. When Peridot first saw Steven in "Marble Madness", she assumed there was an infestation of "Stevens" in the Kindergarten. Peridot then asked him if "Stevens" were the dominant species replacing humans before attempting to crush him with a giant fist, only to be stopped by the other Crystal Gems. In "The Return", she continued to show little regard for Steven, who was believed to only be a human, until it was revealed that he was actually Rose Quartz (or so she and Jasper believed). In "Jail Break", Peridot attempted to use her Gem Destabilizer to subdue Steven, and was surprised by his apparent immunity to the effects of the device. In "Keeping It Together", she talks to Steven calmly with only a hint of fear (likely due to his connection with the Crystal Gems). However, she runs away shortly when the rest of the Crystal Gems find her. In "Friend Ship", Steven wished her good morning and having a good weekend, meaning Steven still wants to be friends with her. Peridot does copy Steven's taunt when she escapes, implying his influence on her. However, she feels no problem with attempting to kill him, much like their first encounter in the Kindergarten when she used one of the giant remote-controlled hands to try and crush him. In "Catch and Release", she has no qualms over kidnapping Steven to use his powers for her own purposes (repairing the Homeworld Warp), although she is later poofed and bubbled by Garnet. After Steven released her and was empathetic during her initial shock, the two seem to be on good terms with each other. In "When It Rains", during a thunderstorm, Peridot mistakes the noise as the hatching Cluster and is terrified and clings to Steven, but is soon informed of the nature of rain by Steven. After the storm has ended, Peridot is willing to disclose information regarding the Cluster and trusts Steven enough to escort her to the Kindergarten to gather information on the Cluster; however, Steven says that they have to hold hands the whole time, because Steven needs to keep an eye on Peridot. Notably, she clings to him several times whenever she is scared and expresses gratitude when Steven explains the "rain business" to her. While at the Kindergarten, Steven protects Peridot from several Fusion Monsters and the two are subsequently rescued by the Crystal Gems. When the Gems begin to ask Steven why they are there, Peridot takes responsibility for the incident to protect Steven. At this point, similar to Lapis Lazuli, Steven is most likely the closest thing to a friend Peridot has, as she only trusts Steven and is hesitant to trust the other Crystal Gems. She has allowed Steven to hug her on multiple occasions. Peridot does consider Steven a friend as revealed in Message Received. She was upset that Steven locked her in a truck due to a misunderstanding about her intentions with contacting Homeworld. After hearing Peridot say that she thinks the Cluster should be destroyed and then calling Yellow Diamond a "clod", Steven forgave Peridot and welcomed her as a Crystal Gem.

Pearl
"I have to admit, it's remarkable that a Pearl such as yourself could become such a... knowledgeable technician."

Like the other Crystal Gems, Peridot initially held a large amount of disdain towards Pearl. However, since reforming and willingly living with the Crystal Gems, Peridot has been particularly dismissive of Pearl. The reason for this is because on Homeworld, Pearls are seen as commodities rather than individuals. Peridot was seen insulting Pearl constantly throughout "Back to the Barn". However, after she and Pearl fought with their robots, Peridot came to realize that there is more to Pearl than she assumed. By the end of the day Peridot admitted that she was wrong about Pearl, and is willing to work together with her. It is later revealed in "Log Date 7 15 2" that she appreciates how hard Pearl is trying to make their friendship work.

Garnet
"We're really different. I appreciate that."

As with the other Crystal Gems, Peridot initially held a large amount of animosity towards Garnet, calling her a "filthy war machine". In "Too Far", Peridot expressed that she felt "uncomfortable" with Garnet being fused all of the time, referring to her as a "Perma-fusion" because of it. She also has stated that she doesn't understand why Garnet remains fused despite not being in a fight. In an attempt to understand Garnet, Peridot attempts to fuse with her, but fails after backing out of the fusion dance. However, after Garnet called herself the pairing of Percy and Pierre from "Camp Pining Hearts" to describe herself, Peridot is more aware of the reason Garnet is a fusion all of the time. After the experience, Peridot has had much more respect for Garnet.

Amethyst
"I have apparently hurt Amethyst's feelings, which was not my intent. If I've damaged my standing with the best gem here, then I've made a serious mistake. I'm still learning. I hope you understand. I want to understand. I'm sorry."

While originally carrying the same amount of contempt towards her and the other Crystal Gems, it is revealed in "Too Far" that she sees Amethyst as being hierarchically above the other Crystal Gems as a quartz, being the only "real" Gem. Peridot initially derives a sense of positive reinforcement from Amethyst's being entertained by her many commentaries on Earth and the other Gems, but goes too far when she unwittingly offends Amethyst by bluntly pointing out that she's a "defective" Gem. After she saves Amethyst from a malfunctioning drill, and apologizes to her (through a tape-recorder) the two seem to be on a better standing. In "It Could've Been Great", while referencing a small kindergarten, she remarks that it is "not nearly as impressive" as the kindergarten Amethyst came from, meaning it as a compliment to her. In "Log Date 7 15 2" she says that she finds Amethyst's company entertaining.

Jasper
Though the extent of their relationship is unknown, Jasper acts as Peridot's escort during her mission on Earth. Once on Earth however, when Jasper realizes Steven possesses Rose's gemstone, Jasper immediately prioritizes returning to Homeworld over Peridot's mission which she dismisses as trivial, leaving Peridot feeling disgruntled. It is very clear that Jasper thinks little of her. In "Cry for Help", it is overtly stated that Jasper is her escort.

Lapis Lazuli
In "Cry for Help", it is revealed that Lapis is Peridot's informant, implying that they have interacted/conversed with each other off-screen. This seems to be due to the lack of knowledge Peridot has of the Earth and Lapis's knowledge of the Crystal Gems and the planet. The full extent of their relationship is unknown, although Lapis appears to be afraid of her, as she desperately warned Steven not to put up a fight when she arrived. As with Jasper, Peridot doesn't seem to have any qualms with abandoning Lapis to whatever fate is in store for her on Earth (although Peridot may not know that Lapis is still on Earth). Writer Joe Johnston has stated that Peridot had acted as Lapis' interrogator during her imprisonment.

Yellow Diamond
""What do you know about the Earth?!"

"Apparently more than YOU! You... CLOD!!!!""

Yellow Diamond is Peridot's superior and leader. In "The Return", when Jasper mentioned the name Yellow Diamond, not only Lapis winced, but Peridot showed fear as well. In "Cry for Help", via the communication hub tower, Peridot sends a distress message to Yellow Diamond pleading for her help. In "Catch and Release" Peridot states that she has not received a response from Yellow Diamond since her distress message in "Cry for Help". Despite this, Peridot seems to almost worshiped her, for example when she called her "Magnificent" in the episode "It Could've Been Great". This may also be the case for the other Diamonds as well as she called them "flawless beings" in "Message Received" but praises Yellow Diamond the most as she called her "The most perfect, the most reasonable, rationable, efficient decider ever to exist in the universe." She later found this not to be true; once contacting Yellow Diamond in order to beg her to deactivate the Cluster to save the Earth, Peridot sees Yellow Diamond for the cruel and spiteful being she is. After realizing this, she refuses to follow her orders and insulted her by calling her a 'clod', making her a traitor to Homeworld and Yellow Diamond.

In "Log Date 7 15 2", it is clear that Peridot's betrayal of Yellow Diamond left a massive impact on her, causing her to break down emotionally to the point where she openly states that she feels she has finally gone mad.

Blue Diamond
Not much is known about their relationship as she rarely mentions her, but she seems to have a sort of respect for her as seen in "It Could've Been Great" and she possibly looked up to her as the same manner she did to Yellow Diamond. Now with the dispute between her and Yellow Diamond, Peridot might not have the same respect for Blue Diamond.

Greg
Little is known between Greg and Peridot, only that Peridot has once tried to see if all life on Earth could fly by shoving Greg off the roof of the barn. Greg took it in stride after Garnet explained Peridot's ignorance of Earth's life.

Season 1

 * "Warp Tour" (debut)
 * "Marble Madness" (on a screen)
 * "The Message" (mentioned)
 * "Political Power" (mentioned)
 * "The Return"
 * "Jail Break"

Season 2

 * "Full Disclosure" (flashback)
 * "Joy Ride" (mentioned)
 * "Keeping it Together"
 * "Cry for Help" (video transmission)
 * "Keystone Motel" (mentioned)
 * "Friend Ship"
 * "Nightmare Hospital" (mentioned)
 * "Catch and Release"
 * "When It Rains"
 * "Back to the Barn"
 * "Too Far"
 * "Steven's Birthday" (non-speaking cameo)
 * "It Could've Been Great"
 * "Message Received"
 * "Log Date 7 15 2"

Shorts

 * "We are the Crystal Gems" (non-speaking cameo)

Trivia

 * Peridot's specific identification is Facet 2F5L Cut 5XG, as revealed in "Message Received" when Yellow Diamond asked which Peridot she was.
 * Peridot has a diamond on her uniform, similar to Lapis Lazuli, Jasper, Sardonyx, and Pearl's space suit.
 * In response to the implication (from her earliest appearances) that Peridot is a "main antagonist", Matt Burnett stated, "Pretty quick to judge poor Peridot... I wouldn't call her an antagonist just yet, and def. not the 'main' one".
 * Her helicopter fingers ability was conceived by Raven Molisee.
 * Peridot's visor appears to be an integral part of her body as, unlike Garnet, she regenerated with it and had no need to re-summon.
 * In "Friend Ship", Peridot pulls the skin under her left eye from beneath the visor in order to imitate Steven's "akanbe face" expression.
 * Peridot originally tended to assume that unfamiliar objects (such as those in Steven's bathroom) are weapons, as seen in "Catch and Release".
 * As seen on the Keep Beach City Weird blog, Ronaldo believes Peridot to be an eco-terrorist and a highly advanced android programmed to free animals from zoos.
 * Peridot doesn't quite comprehend Earth's speech patterns, which often leads her to misinterpret expressions, metaphors, and humor.
 * Based on Peridot's comments in "Back to the Barn", all the Peridots on the Gem Homeworld are supposed to be technicians and kindergarteners.
 * Peridot has an overly technical term for most body parts. Whether or not this is a common jargon amongst modern Homeworld Gems or a personal quirk is currently unknown.
 * Noses are "scent sponges", hands are "touch stumps", etc.
 * Despite this, she does refer to the rear as just a butt.
 * She also refers to clothes as "appearance modifiers"
 * Peridots are low on the Gem social hierarchy, as shown in "Back to the Barn" and "Message Received".
 * Peridot was able to instantly memorize the musical scale of a ukulele after hearing Steven demonstrate a musical scale in "It Could've Been Great".
 * Peridot shares many traits with the titular character of Invader Zim, including short stature, skin tone, an over-zealous nature, and a general ignorance of Earth.

Gemology
Gemstone Information


 * Th (8).pngot is a gem-quality variety of olivine. It belongs to the forsterite-fayalite mineral series. Peridot is an idiochromatic gem, meaning its color comes from the basic chemical composition of the mineral itself and not from minor traces of impurities.
 * Olivine, of which peridot is a type, is a common mineral in mafic and ultramafic rocks, and it is often found in lavas and in peridotite xenoliths of the mantle, which lavas carry to the surface; but gem quality peridot only occurs in a fraction of these settings. Peridots can be also found in meteorites.
 * Olivine in general is a very abundant mineral, but gem quality peridot is rather rare. This is due to the mineral's chemical instability on the Earth's surface. Olivine is usually found as small grains, and tends to exist in a heavily weathered state, unsuitable for decorative use. Large crystals of forsterite, the variety most often used to cut peridot gems, are rare; as a result olivine is considered to be precious.
 * Peridot is the official birthstone for the month of August as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the stone for the Zodiac sign of Libra. Peridot is assigned to the planet Saturn. It may be given as a gem on the sixteenth wedding anniversary.
 * 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. Its vivid green color does not change under artificial light.
 * Chemically, peridot is an iron magnesium silicate and its intensity of color depends on the amount of iron it contains. There may also be traces of nickel and chromium present.
 * The best colored peridot has an iron percentage of less than 15% and typically includes some trace elements of nickel and chromium, which contribute to its color. The most valued color is a dark olive-green.
 * Peridot is the gem variety of olivine and ranges between 6.5 and 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. It is not particularly sensitive to acid, but it does have a brittle tenacity.
 * The name "Peridot" is believed to have originated from the Arabic word faridat, meaning "gem", or alternatively, as the Oxford English Dictionary suggests, it came from classical Latin pæderot - a kind of opal.
 * The ancient Romans called it 'evening emerald' since its color did not darken at night, but could still be appreciated by candle light and the light of a campfire.
 * Peridot is a healing gemstone often associated with peace, compassion, and harmony of relationships. Its powers are thought to promote growth and renewal while alleviating negative emotions such as guilt, resentment, and apathy.
 * It is a gem especially connected with ancient Egypt, and some historians believe that the famous emeralds of Cleopatra were actually peridot gems.
 * Peridot olivine is mined in Arkansas, Arizona on the San Carlos Reservation, Hawaii, Nevada, and New Mexico at Kilbourne Hole, in the US; and in Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Myanmar (Burma), Norway, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
 * The name chrysolite was formerly applied not only to peridot, but also many similarly colored stones.

Gemstone
PeridotPerydotPeridotpt-br:PeridotПеридотPeridotPeridot