Thinking about a peridot?

[basil]

Hi! I'm currently pregnant and due on 7/31/11...But being as it's my first child I'm thinking I'll be late. And therefore the birthstone would be peridot. I am thinking of getting a peridot ring as a "push present". If I end up going early, I may get a peridot ring anyway cause who cares about birthstones and I don't really like rubies anyway - at least in the price range I can afford

I was thinking of something like a cocktail ring...obviously not to be worn every day but for special occasions. But dramatic. I LOVE LadyAmythest's ring: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-new-peridot-ring.70314/. But I suspect that might have cost more than I will want to spend.

I'm in the very beginning stages of looking. Where are good places to look for high quality peridots? What should I look for in a peridot? How much should I expect to spend?

TIA!

 

[chrono]

Congrats on the baby bump! I take it you mean you want a super green peridot and not the commonly yellowish ones like from China?

 

[basil]

Hi Chrono! Thanks!

Honestly, I didn't really know there was a choice based on origin. I guess something closer to grass green would be ideal, since that's my favorite color. Yellow green could be ok, though. But I'd rather get a really nice stone and put it in a simple setting than a big ugly one.

 

[Aoife]

Peridots are lovely but...

in my experience babies very seldom get a copy of the memo on when they are supposed to show up. If having the exact birthstone is important to you, you might want to wait until Baby Basil makes an appearance!

That said, how about something like this?
http://www.bespoke-gems.com/SacredGeometrics_Gemstones_Peridot.php#image_320

 

[Arcadian]

different stones from different locations indeed have some differences.

This is my stone from Pakistan.



Its very different from the Burmese and Arizona ones that I have. So you can see a color difference based on location.

Also, mine is 6cts which has some bearing on its color. Freke I remember had a pendant made with one which is mint in color. There's a lot of great examples of peridot in some smaller sizes.

Quality highly saturated peridot without eye visible inclusions won't be inexpensive.

-A

 

[movie zombie]

and Arizona peridot: http://www.arizona-peridot.com/

i don't think peridot is properly appreciated. it really does have a broad range of color, hue, and tone.

MoZo

 

[chrono]

These are some yellowish green peridots from China that are concave cut with one from AZ.
http://www.steveperrygems.com/gems/semiprecious.html

Gary Dutton of www.diamondexpert.com has mostly Chinese peridots.

Nicest peridots are towards the bottom of the page where the Burmese green are better than the Pakistan which are better than the Chinese.
http://www.awesomegems.com/peridot.html#top

As you can tell, the Burmese peridots are typically the most expensive as they are well known for being the greenest. I like the inventory at Awesomegems but find them a bit on the pricey side.

 

[Pandora II]

Basil, I would be more inclined to set a peridot as a pendant if it's to be such a sentimental piece as it is only a 6.5 on the Mohs, has cleavage in two directions and is IMO one of the easier stones to damage.

Being an August baby, I've had quite a few over the years and they do not stand up well. I only wore mine ring very occasionally and took a massive chunk out of it without even being aware of hitting it.

 

[rubybeth]

Oh, I don't know anything about where to get a lovely peridot but just wanted to say I love this idea! My mom and sister both have August birthdays and I've always loved their birthstone. It is not either of their favorites but they each have peridot rings which are lovely, my mother has a very modern setting with a princess cut peridot and my sister has a very vintage looking cushion in a diamond halo with delicate pave on the shanks. They, of course, are both jealous that I'm an April baby and therefore will always have a good excuse to get diamonds.

 

[redfaerythinker]

Here is my peridot from Bespoke Gems for reference. It's from Pakistan and a really lovely apple green color. Doug is really fantastic to work with as well and I love my stone!

 

[VapidLapid]

litnon seems to have a lot of nice looking peridot

come to think of it Gene of Precisiongem just came back with some lovely looking peridot rough, you could go custom cut.

 

[chrono]

If buying from Litnon, don't forget that PSers get a 30% discount, IIRC.

 

[Deathspi]

If buying from Litnon, don't forget that PSers get a 30% discount, IIRC.

I thought we got a discount somewhere but couldn't remember where.
Stupid question, but do you have to mention your a PSer every time you buy, or do they remember?

 

[chrono]

I don’t know. I don’t expect Litnon to remember who is a PSer and who isn’t, so I mention it every time I make my purchase.

 

[Deathspi]

Ah, okay. Just wanted to know so I don't end up spamming them every time I buy something when their thinking 'YES, WE KNOW!!!'

 

[bluegirl123]

sorry to go off topic, but is there a min. for the discount? I'm contemplating an inexpensive gem from them (definetly under $100).

Thanks!

 

[chrono]

I don't believe there is a minimum or maximum dollar amount needed to get the discount to apply.