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Peridot is the gem variety of olivine.  It is not exceptionally rare, but large peices with intense color can command high prices.  Peridot's most striking feature is its particular, bright shade of green.  Inclusions are also common in peridot, making clear peices more valuable.

The Most Valuable Peridot

The most valuable peridot has a bright, glowing lime green color, good clarity, excellent cut and large size (over 3 carats).

Lowest Value: These peridot beads are of poor clarity (heavily included), weak unattractive color, small size, and poor polish.  Peridot beads are always made using relatively poor quality peridot.  One of these beads might cost about 1$	Low Value: The peridot in this pendant are more valuable than the previous beads because of their more intense color and improved clarity. However, the clarity is still poor (the gemstones are "hazy") and the color is an unattractive dull green.  In addition, they are small and poorly faceted.  A pendant like this can be found for under $30.	Medium Value:  This is a nice peice of peridot.  The clarity is good and the cut is excellent.  It is also of a fairly large size (over 3 cts.).  The main detractor from its value is its color: it's too dark.	Highest Value:  This is the most valuable peridot.  It is a bright glowing lime green.  The cut is good and the clarity is also good.  It is over 3 carats.  A peridot like this can cost several hundred dollars.

 

How Color Affects the Value of Peridot

The color of a peridot is perhaps the most important factor for determining its quality (along with clarity).  There are a few special gemstones, and peridot is among them, whose identity is always associated with an exact shade of a color.  Just like emeralds are associated with their special green, so are peridots associated with their own special green.  It is bright and lively and fresh.

Too Pale: These peridot are a very pale shade of green.  Because the color is so low in saturation, these peridot will not be expensive	Too Dark: This is a very nice peridot, except for one thing.  It's color is a little too dark.	To Dull:  This peridot is nearly perfect.  It does have a nice, saturated color.  The one thing keeping it from being top value is that it's particular green is more of an olive and is not the lime green peridot is famous for.	Perfect:  This is what a vergood lime green colored peridot looks like.

How Cut Affects the Value of Peridot

Perfectly cut peridots are hard to find.  Most of the peridots available in jewelry today are what is called "native cut".  This means they are faceted and polished in the same area or region where they were mined, usually in south or southeast Asia.  The tools used there are more basic and do not accurately measure angles. Therefore, the quality of the cut depends entirely on the eye and hand of the cutter.  Some of these cuts can be very good, while others not. It is also possible, but difficult, to find perfectly master-cut peridot.

You will know a good cut when you see it because it will sparkle more than you thought was possible.  All of the facets will be even, there will be no "windows" (also called fish eyes) in the stone that you can see through, and the facets will meet at points.

Very Poor Cut: There is a very large dark area in the middle of this peridot: there is no light sparkling back at us.  This is due to the fact that this peridot has been cut at the wrong angles.	Poor Cut: This peridot sparkles more than the previous one but ou can see that many of the facets don't meet at points and it does contain a "window".	Good Cut:  This cut is called an emerald cut or a baguette cut.   The thing to look for in evaluating this kind of cut is that all facets are even and parallel.  Nice job.	Good Cut:  This is an exple of a very good native cut.  The facets meet at points and it sparkles quite a bit, with no windows or dark spots.

How Clarity Affects the Value of Peridot

The clarity of a peridot is one of the most important determinants of its value.  Peridots often contain inclusions, a gemological term for internal "imperfections".  These can be internal cracks or bits of other minerals inside.  Peridots often have dark black spots and internal cracks or whisps.  The fewer of these, the better the clarity of the gem, and therefore, the more valuable it can be.  Good clarity means that we can see all of the sparkle that a stone has to offer.

Poor Clarity: These peridot beads are of poor clarity.  (Most beads are).  In these small beads, we can see a dark inclusion and a lot of internal fractures.	Poor Clarity: The 7 small peridots here have a dullness to them that is due to poor clarity.  Several small inclusions give them a hazy look that keeps us from perceiving any sparkle.	Medium Clarity:  This is a much nicer peridot than the previous one.  It is clear enough to be "gem quality". The only obstruction to its clarity is a whispy inclusion on the lower right side.	Perfect Clarity:  Perfect clear peridot.  There is no inclusion visible anywhere.

Size

Peridots are generally not too rare nor expensive.  Stones less than 1 carat can be had very affordably (under $50).  High quality stones between 1 and 3 carats acan be found in high end jewelry costing several hundreds of dollars.  Size does not play a critical role in the valuation of peridot other than this except when the size is significantly larger.  A peridot over 6 carats will be extremely rare and could be worthy of a museum, and easily everal thousands of dollars.

 

This peridot is a very nice lime green color.  However, its value is diminished because of the poor cut (we can see through it) and the inclusions (whispy crystaline "imperfections")

These peridot are of very poor quality.  The color is dull and dark; the cuts are poor (they do not sparkle), the clarity is poor (stones are murky) and they are small.  Buy this if it appeals to you, but do not spend much (no more than $20)

This peridot is nicely square (or princess) cut.  However, the color of the stone is too dark to allow it to be valuable.

This is a very nice emerals cut peridot.  The clarity is excellent and the cut is excellent.  The color is slightly weaker than the ideal "glowing lime green"... otherwise it would be perfect.

This is the poorest quality peridot.  For that reason, it has been made into beads and not faceted.  The color is weak, the clarity is poor, the beads are uneven, and they are small.

Here is a very good peridot. It is perfectly cut  (trilliant shape).  It is also perfectly clear. However, the color is too dark and dull: missing the characteristic lime green.

 

This peridot is perfect.  It is the perfect glowing lime green color, good cut and good clarity.  If you find a peridot that looks like this, buy it.