Peridot The precious variety of olivine in excellent quality is known as peridot. The stone is found in a variety of different rock formations, mainly of volcanic origin. Peridot is also found in meteorites. Some of the first stones were found in Roman times. Peridot was virtually unknown before the days of Alexander the Great. Initially, most peridots were found on St. John’s island in the Red Sea. Today, stones of excellent quality and size also come from Myanmar, from Bohemia (smaller sized stones), from Brazil, Norway, the Eifel mountains in Germany, Hawaii and Lanzerote. A giant meteorite found in Siberia has been exploited to obtain polishable peridots. Peridot is a magnesium-iron silicate, with over 80% magnesium and over 10% iron. Due to its high hardness, the stone is relatively easy to cut and polish. Peridot symbolizes noble-mindedness, grandeur and loyalty; in astrology it is seen as the stone of the zodiacal sign of Leo.