Is Your Peridot Real or Fake?
How to tell genuine peridot from imitations
Peridot is inexpensive enough that outright faking is less common than substitution: green glass, green cubic zirconia, and lab-grown material are sold as peridot, and the romantic name 'evening emerald' is sometimes used to imply it's something rarer.
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Common peridot fakes & look-alikes
- Green glass. Rounded gas bubbles, a warm feel, and a flat single facet image; often too uniform in color.
- Green cubic zirconia. Extremely bright and clean with lots of fire — more sparkle than peridot's softer oily green — and single refraction.
- 'Evening emerald' labeling. Just a trade name for peridot; not a different or rarer stone.
Simple at-home tests
- 1Look for doubling. Peridot is strongly doubly refractive — through the table, the back facet edges appear doubled; glass and CZ do not double.
- 2Color character. Peridot is a distinctive oily yellow-green (olive); a pure bright green with intense fire is more likely CZ.
- 3Hardness. Peridot is Mohs 6.5–7; it scratches glass but is itself scratched more easily than quartz or CZ.
At-home tests are indicative, not definitive — for valuable pieces, get a professional gemologist's opinion.
The bottom line
A doubly-refractive, oily olive-green stone that scratches glass is genuine peridot. No doubling with round bubbles means glass; intense fire with no doubling means cubic zirconia.
FAQ
- How can I tell if my peridot is real?
- A doubly-refractive, oily olive-green stone that scratches glass is genuine peridot. No doubling with round bubbles means glass; intense fire with no doubling means cubic zirconia.
- How much is peridot worth per carat?
- Small or pale peridot runs about $5–$30 per carat, good medium green $30–$100, and fine large clean stones $100–$500+ per carat. Pure green color and larger clean size drive the price.
- Is peridot a valuable gem?
- It's generally affordable — most stones are modest — but fine, large, vividly green clean peridot from sources like Pakistan and Myanmar is a genuine collector gem worth hundreds per carat.
- How can I tell real peridot from glass?
- Real peridot is doubly refractive (the back facet edges look doubled through the table), has an oily olive-green color, and is Mohs 6.5–7. Round bubbles and a single crisp facet image suggest glass; a too-perfect bright green may be CZ.
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