The gem-quality form of olivine, a mineral originating from the Earth's mantle. Not formed at the surface—crystallised deep within the planet and carried up by volcanic activity.

The island of Zabargad in Egypt's Red Sea has been mined for peridot for over 3,500 years, making it the oldest known source. Ancient Egyptians called it the "gem of the sun." Some suggest that part of Cleopatra's emerald collection was in fact peridot.

Olivine is also found in pallasite meteorites. A mineral that forms both deep within the Earth and in space. The scale at which it exists is fundamentally different from other gemstones.