Tips for Working With Peridot for Positivity and Protection

If you're looking for a new gemstone to work with and want something that pulls double (or triple) duty in your life, consider adding a peridot crystal to your collection.

You might be familiar with peridot crystals as the birthstone for August and as the Leo birthstone (check out all the Zodiac birthstones and Birthstones by month in our complete guides). Still, there's so much more to explore with this gemstone. Whether you're hoping to sprinkle some fairy dust on a new business or give yourself a significant confidence boost, peridot has you covered. 

In this guide, you'll learn about peridot and its connection to ancient pirate treasure and an Egyptian queen. You'll also explore a few ways you can tap into its mystical properties for energetic balance, prosperity, and greater well-being.

What Is Peridot?

According to Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian's "The Book of Stones: Who They Are & What They Teach," peridot is part of the orthorhombic crystal system and is mainly composed of magnesium iron silicate. It ranks a seven on the Mohs hardness scale, making it a harder stone that's more resistant to scratches. Peridot's birefringence (or reflective quality), refractive index (it’s brilliance), and specific gravity (how dense it is) depend on the composition of each individual stone. 

Peridot's iron content influences its coloring, and as a result, you can find peridot gemstones in several shades of green. It's not uncommon to find bright, lime green crystals, yellow-green, olive green, and everything in between. Certain color groups are sometimes referred to by other names. Green and lemon-yellow peridot gemstones are sometimes called forsterite. Amber, yellowish, greenish-brown, olive, and green peridot are also known as fayalite.

Peridot goes by other names on occasion. Both olivine and chrysolite are used to describe peridot. Chrysolite derives from the Greek words for "gold" and "stone." 

Deposits of peridot stones are widespread and found in several countries. Some of the most famous mines are in Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Pakistan, South Africa, and the USA. You can find other deposits in the Canary Islands, Ireland, Russia, and Sri Lanka.

Peridot Throughout History

Gemstones feature heavily in ancient cultures, and peridot is no exception. Ancient Egyptians have mined peridot from deposits on the Island of Zabargad (now called St. John's Island) in the Red Sea for thousands of years. Simmons and Ahsian share that the name "Zabargad" is Arabic for olivine or peridot. 

Based on historical writings and archaeological evidence, peridot mining has likely taken place on the island since the second or third centuries BCE. Pliny the Elder's "Natural History" references earlier historical sources and mentions how pirates storming an island (very likely Zabargad) found green gems and brought them to Cairo as a gift for Queen Berenice I.  

Peridot gems from Zabargad are so stunning they've occasionally been misclassified as a type of emerald (which is part of the beryl family of minerals, not the orthorhombic family). At the Shrine of the Three Kings in Cologne, Germany, what were long thought of as emeralds turned out to be peridot after closer inspection. 

Because of their beauty, Egyptians cut peridot gemstones into beads for jewelry. Ancient Greeks and Romans made peridot jewelry as well, fashioning it into rings. 

As time passed, people began using peridot gemstones to protect against evil spirits and as a stone to invite wealth and abundance. During the 13th century, the English would carry engraved peridot stones for this purpose.

Peridot and Its Healing Properties

Most areas of your life would benefit from peridot's metaphysical properties. It's a superb protection stone and works to balance your energy field and chakra system. Peridot gemstones can also lend a hand with developing more love for yourself and living each day with more joy and confidence. 

Here are a few ways you can start using peridot’s healing properties in your everyday life.

Invite Prosperity and Success Into Your Life

Take a cue from the green color of this gemstone and use peridot to experience abundance in all areas of your life. Remember, prosperity isn't always just about your finances. Prosperity can be about feeling more love in your life and experiencing gratitude for what you already have. And even more importantly, being able to receive and welcome that abundance into your world.

Sometimes we don't realize how much we have available to us because we have trouble opening ourselves up to it. Simmons and Ahsian note how peridot gemstones bring in greater prosperity around finances, health, and wealth and help us appreciate and feel worthy of it. 

Have you ever branched out into a new field of work or gotten a promotion and had a hint of imposter syndrome creep in? Well, that's something peridot can help you overcome and shake off. Perhaps you have a side business you're working on, but worry about how you'll stand out in a crowded marketplace. You can use peridot in situations like these to reframe your mindset into a more positive one and welcome more prosperous energy in place of your doubt.

Consider adding pyrite, lapis lazuli, malachite, and jade to cultivate more abundant energy in your life. 

Clear the Slate for More Love and Enjoy Next Level Confidence

Peridot gemstones have a special connection to your third and fourth chakras, making them an excellent stone to work with when balancing or opening up the energy in these chakra centers.

When your solar plexus chakra is balanced, you feel confident and secure in yourself. You have the willpower to tackle projects and see them through to completion, such as spearheading an event at work or adapting to a healthy new lifestyle.

An open heart chakra helps you experience a deeper and more profound love for yourself and others. You open yourself up to greater compassion, abundant happiness, and a healthy optimism to see you through tough situations when you need it.

Using peridot healing crystals to balance these energy centers can help you feel worthy of pursuing aspirations you may have put on the back burner. Maybe it means having the confidence to go back to school and pursue a course of study you've always dreamed out. Or it could mean you're feeling ready to find and connect with a loving partnership or embrace a supportive group of like-minded friends.

Try meditating with a peridot crystal cabochon or wearing a piece of peridot jewelry to help you connect to the healing properties of the gemstone. You can use other gemstones like rose quartz, citrine, pink opal, and blue topaz to enhance peridot’s effects.

Shield Yourself From Negativity and Release Old Habits

Even though you might not be aiming to keep away demons like they were in the 1200s, peridot is still a very protective stone. In her book "The Crystal Bible: A Definitive Guide to Crystals," Judy Hall discusses how peridot works to protect your aura from negativity. If you tend to take on other people's energy, wearing a chakra bracelet with peridot beads will allow you to keep your energy field clear and bright.

Hall also notes how peridot assists in unloading habits or ways of being that hold you back in life. When you need to free yourself from feelings of guilt or shame or have trouble letting go of the past, you can use the supportive energy of peridot gemstones to liberate yourself. Sometimes we hang on to things long after we should, whether it's relationships we've outgrown or clutter and old clothes. After a certain point, what we've held onto can become a negative force in our lives and keep us from moving forward. 

You can use peridot to help you offload what's no longer nourishing your energy and life and to make space for something new and beautiful to come in. Welcome the change and trust in peridot's ability to protect you from what no longer serves you.

If you’re looking to round out your protection stone collection, tourmaline, aquamarine, and amethyst are all worthy additions.

Use Peridot to Balance and Upgrade Your Energy

Peridot has been treasured throughout history for its beauty and energetic properties. 

Call on this stone whenever you find yourself craving a boost of confidence, looking for some extra financial support, or need a helping hand in letting go of the past. 

By balancing your energy, you might notice lighter and more blissful feelings as you go about your day. You’ll feel more like you’re working with the flow of life and not against it. Count on peridot’s uplifting energy to help you find renewal in all areas of your life.