Vividly colored. Relatively inexpensive. The striking green gemstone that is the star of the show in vintage and antique peridot earrings is timeless and loved all over the world.
Suffering from nightmares? Try placing a peridot next to your pillow. In ancient Egypt, where the semiprecious stone was first discovered (and where it was referred to as the “gem of the sun”), it was believed to have magical powers, including the ability to protect people from evil spirits, including the ones responsible for bad dreams. Luckily for those wanting to test their efficacy against nighttime terrors, peridots are relatively inexpensive. Luckier still for August babies, whose birthstone it is, the vibrant green jewels in vintage peridot drop earrings and peridot stud earrings go beautifully with a summer wardrobe.
Stud earrings are simple and usually small in size, making them lightweight and easy to wear. Unlike other earrings, stud earrings have a floating appearance. They are often made with a single gemstone, such as a peridot, and a straight post that goes through the ear, typically with a rubber or metal backing to hold it in place. Although the term is often misapplied, true drop earrings are characterized by a long lean line ending in a pear-shaped stone that drops just below the earlobe. These accessories were popular in the Art Deco era, which encompassed the 1920s and ’30s and ushered in a very distinct look in jewelry design.
Peridot was mined in ancient times, perhaps as early as 1500 BC, on Topazos Island, today known as Zabargad or St. John’s Island, in the Red Sea. According to gemologist Edward Gübelin, “the occurrence of peridot on Zabargad is intimately related to the regional geology and the tectonic processes that on a larger scale were responsible for the formation of the Red Sea itself.”
Today the largest and finest peridots come from Pakistan and Myanmar, while the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona is the source of most of the stones used in mass-produced jewelry. Peridots are also found in Vietnam, Tanzania and China.
Zabargad is the source of the most famous large peridots, several of which are prized parts of public collections. The Natural History Museum in London owns a 146-carat step-cut stone, but it is the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, that boasts the largest cut peridot, weighing 310 carats. Then there’s the Chicago Field Museum’s pear-shaped Green Goddess, weighing 154-carat and etched with the figure of a woman. It was acquired at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, and In 2008, the renowned Chicago jeweler Lester Lampert designed an 18-karat yellow-gold setting for the stone, surrounding it with 3.24 carats of yellow diamonds.
Find vintage and antique peridot earrings and other accessories on 1stDibs.
