Peridot vs. Emerald

In the vivid and eclectic world of gemstones, very few stones occur in single color. Emerald stones and Peridot stones are two of them. Both these gemstones are green in color, though, with variation of shades. They bear close resemblance to each other. While ancient Greeks called Peridot as ‘Evening Emerald’, Cleopatra’s emerald stones are believed to be Peridot stones in reality. But still, they vary significantly from each other. Here are some differences between Peridot and Emerald:

Difference in formation and occurrence:

Peridot stones are variety of Olivine which is a silicate mineral. It is even found in some Pallasite meteorites. On the other hand, emerald or panna stones are green colored variety of mineral Beryl.

Difference in color:

This is the most obvious difference between panna stones and peridot. While panna or emerald stones are deep green in color, peridots are olive green with lighter tones.

Difference in hardness:

The durability of gemstones is determined on the basis of their rating on Moh’s scale of hardness. In this regard, peridot is slightly more fragile than emerald stones. Emerald has rating of 7.5–8 on Moh’s scale. On the other hand, peridot has rating of 6.5 to 7 only. As such, it is delicate and softer than panna stones. Both these stones can be encrusted in exquisite jewelries but should be worn only with proper care.

Difference in astrological properties:

Since, both these stones vary in their composition and color; their metaphysical properties are also quite different from each other. Emerald is the birthstone for May born ascendants while Peridot is birthstone for those born in August month. Emerald or panna brings the powers of Mercury planet in life of its possessor. Peridot has both Mercury and Venus as its ruling planets. Interestingly, peridot is considered to be the ideal substitute of emeralds for astrological purposes.

Difference in origin:

Peridot stones are abundantly mined in Egypt, USA and Myanmar. On the other hand, best quality emeralds are extracted from mines of Zambia and Columbia.

Difference in prices:

Due to difference in their composition, origin, and rarity, both these gems differ significantly in their prices as well. Panna stones with prices are available in range starting from Rs. 500 per carat. Higher range of buying panna stone with prices rests at Rs. 300000 per carat. However, prices of natural peridots range between Rs. 400 and Rs. 5000 per carat. So, there is a huge difference of range between peridot and panna stones with prices.

Author : He is an expert gemologist and work with GemPundit.He advises about gemstones related queries from user and has successful track record of servicing customers for more than 20 years

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