Peridot: Magical Properties, Benefits & Uses

Peridot is a popular olive-green gem, often faceted and used in jewelry. It’s also sometimes sold as more expensive green stones, like emerald.

This gemstone has a long history of use as adornment, in crystal healing, and in magic, and has the distinction of being one of only two gems that aren’t formed in the Earth’s crust.

About Peridot

Peridot is unique in a number of ways. Where most other stones can appear in a variety of colors (depending on their contaminants, inclusions, and the circumstances of their formation) peridot is always green.

This can sometimes be a medium true green, but is typically an olive green with a yellowish to brownish undertone. Peridot is a type of olivine, and gets its color from iron molecules.

A peridot crystal isolated on a white background.

This crystal is formed within the magma of the Earth’s upper mantle. This makes it difficult to find gem-quality peridot, since it can easily be damaged or even destroyed on its way to the surface.

Some meteorites can also contain peridot, but these stones will have a slightly different concentration of metal ions.

Peridot is a fairly hard stone, at a 6.5-7 on the Mohs hardness scale. It takes facets well, and is suitable for jewelry.

See also: Check out Peridot crystals here.

Peridot Healing Properties & Benefits

As an emotional healer, peridot is good for soothing the ego. It calms anger, spite, resentment, envy, jealousy, and other feelings that can cause people to lash out.

It’s a wonderful stone for releasing feelings of guilt or accusation, and can be instrumental in dismantling the maladaptive behaviors some people develop in an attempt to protect the ego.

As a physical healer, peridot is said to support digestion, sight, the endocrine system, and the brain. It’s sometimes used by crystal healers as a general tonic, to balance the endocrine system for optimum health, and to facilitate childbirth.

In some situations, it’s also used to help cool fevers and slow the impact of aging on the body.

See also: Check out Peridot jewelry here.

Peridot Magical Properties

Historically, peridot has been used as a charm against nightmares. It’s also a generally lucky stone, and is said to shield the wearer from malevolent magic used against them.

This stone is also used for spiritual growth. It’s said to be particularly helpful for connecting to a higher consciousness, and calming feelings of guilt that can inhibit spiritual development. Peridot allows the user to progress in a productive way, rather than remain caught up in feelings of debt.

Some consider it a stone for love and attraction, and use it to draw in all forms of blessings. Peridot is also a stone of nature, and can be worn or carried to develop a deeper connection to spirits of plants, trees, or localities.

Peridot crystals with magical and metaphysical properties.

Meditating with period is said to provide insight and allow the user to connect with the Divine.

All peridot is green, so it’s tied to green color magic. Green rules growth, abundance, prosperity, and beauty, so peridot is a suitable tool for any workings to attract or develop these things.

For those who work with chakras, peridot is connected to Anahata, the heart chakra. This energy center governs love for the self and others, as well as the healthy expression of this emotion.

If it becomes blocked or unbalanced, it can manifest as difficulty with self-love, emotional numbness, and the pursuit of toxic relationships.

Wearing or meditating with peridot near this area is believed to open the heart chakra, allowing the free flow of energy and resolving problems associated with a blockage.

Peridot History & Folklore

The origin of the word “peridot” is debatable. Some sources suggest that it comes from the Arabic “faridat,” meaning “gem.” Others claim that it derives from the Anglo–Norman “pedoretés,” which refers to a kind of opal.

The first use of this word in English is believed to be a reference in a register of St. Albans Abbey, which mentions a peridot stone bequeathed by Bishop John upon his death in 1245.

Some ancient references to topaz actually refer to peridot. At one time, the stone was named Topazos, after Topazios Island where it was discovered.

Egyptian royalty valued this stone very highly. They closely guarded peridot mines, and threatened trespassers with death.

Because of the way they form, large peridots are rare. The biggest specimen on record is a 62 gram crystal on display at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., in the U.S.

How to Cleanse Peridot

Peridot is a fairly durable stone. If it could handle forming in the Earth’s mantle, then making it to the surface, it can handle a lot!

That said, it’s still important to take good care of your crystals, including cleansing them regularly. The following methods are suitable for energetically clearing peridot.

Some methods for cleansing Peridot include:

  • Bathing it in fresh, running water. For best results, use water from a natural source (rain, rivers, creeks, or the sea). As a second choice, use demineralized water.
  • Bathing it in an infusion of cleansing herbs. Prepare the infusion the way you’d make a tea, allow it to cool, strain the herbs out, and use the liquid.
  • Setting it in the light of the full moon.
  • Fumigating your peridot in cleansing herbs or incense smoke.
  • Placing the stone at the base of a plant.
  • Burying it in soil. If you do this outdoors, mark the area very well. To be safe, do it in a potted plant.
  • Using your personal energy.
  • Playing music, chimes, bells, or singing bowls. If you use a singing bowl, avoid placing your peridot directly in the vibrating bowl itself. This can cause it to shatter.

Some sources say that peridot shouldn’t be exposed to high heat, as this may cause it to crack or fade. To be safe, don’t pass your stone through a candle’s flame or place it in bright sunlight for long periods of time.

Getting Started With Peridot

Peridot is a very nice stone to start with. As long as you can find a metaphysical or crystal supplier who provides ethically-harvested stones, all you need to do is choose one that resonates with you.

Peridot isn’t often faked, so there are few worries about buying a counterfeit crystal.

To choose a suitable stone, try to buy it in person. This will let you get a better idea of what it looks like — many stones reach out to their future owners by catching their eyes, first.

A green peridot crystal with magical and metaphysical properties.

Once you’re drawn to a particular stone, try holding it in your non-dominant hand. This is commonly referred to as the “receptive” hand, and is considered better at picking up on subtle energies than the dominant hand.

Take your time here. Close your eyes, take a deep breath. See what you feel. If it feels pleasant, or at least neutral, it’s a suitable stone to work with. If it feels spiky, saddening, or otherwise unpleasant, try again with another stone.

Once you’ve chosen your stone or stones, take them home and cleanse them. Crystals can have their natural, baseline energy altered by the situations they go through on their way to you.

If they were handled by someone in a bad mood, or kept in a place with a lot of negative energy, this can distort their energetic field to a degree. Cleansing helps remove this influence and get them back to their natural state.

After cleansing, you can use your peridot how you like. Try meditating with it near your heart area. Place it in a charm bag, or under your pillow to keep away nightmares. If it’s set in a piece of jewelry, enchant it for prosperity and wear it when you work.


Peridot is a versatile stone, and there are many possibilities for its power. This pretty yellow-green stone was so prized by royals, they were willing to kill to protect it. Today, obtaining your own peridot is much less risky.

Choose your crystal carefully, cleanse it well, and work with it often, and it will repay you with its abundant, vibrant green energy.


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