Peridot Rings

Vividly colored. Relatively inexpensive. The striking green gemstone that is the star of the show in vintage peridot rings 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 jewel in antique peridot earrings, peridot necklaces and other peridot jewelry goes beautifully with a summer wardrobe.

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.”

Those ancient deposits have been exhausted. 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.

Peridot is frequently the gem of choice for today's top luxury houses — BVLGARI’s iconic Sepenti collection might not be stereotypically romantic, but a cabochon peridot mounted on yellow-gold Tubogas bracelets adds a subtle sweetness to the eternally edgy design. During the 1960s, BVLGARI introduced color to the collection with handmade enameled scales. With the Serpenti ring, the designers added gemstones such as peridot and pink tourmaline to the head, but retained the signature coiled shape of the serpent’s body.

Find vintage and antique peridot cocktail rings, peridot solitaire rings and other peridot jewelry on 1stDibs.