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Ten Genuine, Natural, Emerald Green Colored Peridot and Quartz Crystal Semi-Precious Gemstones on High Quality 14kt Gold Fill French Hooks.

Four antique hand crafted 3mm spherical peridot gemstones, six antique hand faceted 4mm quartz crystal gemstones, mounted onto high quality 14kt gold fill french hooks. Total gemstone weigh about two carats.

Known as the "gem of the sun" due to its yellow-green color, peridot was mined off the coast of Egypt on St. John's Island in the Red Sea as early as 1500 B.C. Legend also has it that peridot was Cleopatra's favorite gemstone. Ten beautifully colored sparkling, the peridot gemstones from Egypt and the quartz crystal gemstones from India. Six of the ten gemstones are genuine hand-faceted quartz crystal semi-precious gemstones; the remaining four are handcrafted and hand polished peridot semi-precious gemstones. Of course peridot was a gemstone well known to the ancient world, and the source of the ancient world's peridot was a small island off the coast of Egypt. Egypt remains one of the premiere sources of exceptionally high grade peridot since that small island was rediscovered several centuries ago. These gemstones were handcrafted almost a century ago into beautiful little polished spheres (peridot) and beautiful little faceted spheres (quartz crystal) and then hand drilled. The quartz crystals are from the fabled land of India, famous for centuries for its production of rubies, emeralds, sapphires, topaz, aquamarine, amethyst, and other precious and semi-precious gemstones. The gemstones were not only mined in India, they were most frequently hand cut as well, more often than not in Bombay. Both the quartz crystal and the peridot are premium quality semi-precious gemstones, the Egyptian peridot highly favored for its vivid citrus, almost emerald shade of green. These antique gemstones have been mounted onto high quality contemporary 14kt gold fill french hooks. These are not cheap, gold electroplated earrings. They are genuine 14kt gold fill - designed to last a lifetime. It's a first-class piece of jewelry throughout. Though the gemstones are antique, hand crafted and hand matched, the settings are contemporary. If you prefer, the gemstones could be remounted onto kidney wires, lever backs, euroclicks, or ball studs if you would prefer; or remounted onto 14kt solid gold or sterling silver.

The name Peridot was used first by the French, but the origin of the word is the Arabic "faridat", or "gem". Known as the "gem of the sun" due to its yellow-green color, peridot was mined off the coast of Egypt on St. John's Island in the Red Sea as early as 1500 B.C. At that time, the island was known to the Greeks as Topazios, and the yellow-green gems were called "topaz". This barren little island was one of the best-guarded areas of the ancient world. The Egyptians valued peridot so highly that guards stationed on the island were given orders to kill anyone approaching the shore without permission. To the ancient Egyptians, the golden glow of Peridot symbolized "Ra", their sun god. Legend also has it that peridot was Cleopatra's favorite gemstone. It is believed that biblical references to "crysolite" in the Old Testament actually refer to peridot. During the Crusades, peridot was brought to Europe from Saint John's Island, Egypt. The island was often hidden by heavy fog and its location was lost for centuries, dismissed as a myth, until in the early twentieth century the island and its peridot mines were rediscovered. In Medieval Europe, people wore Peridot to gain foresight and divine inspiration, and that it would dissolve enchantments, cure asthma, lessen thirst in fever, as well as cure liver disease and dropsy.

You might guess I travel extensively for a living. My profession is a purchasing agent for antique gemstones, which generally come from Russia, India, Ceylon, and Siam. I grew up in the Southern Urals of Russia, just miles away from some of the greatest gemstone producing regions in the world's history. Alexandrite, diamond, emerald, sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz, demantoid garnet, and many other rare and precious gemstones are produced from the mountains within mere minutes or a few hours from the city I once called home. My interest in the fabulous history of Russian gemstones and the fabulous jewelry of the Czar's led to further education and conacts in India, Ceylon, and Siam, other ancient centers of gemstone production and finishing. Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, antique gemstones are commonly unmounted from old, broken settings - the gold reused - the gemstones recut and reset.

Before this happens, before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, I try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state - most of them centuries old. I believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting. Not everyone agrees - fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with me that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or "lab produced") gemstones which dominate the market today.

I have always been fascinated with jewelry and gemstones. Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Bombay are great places to find incredible deals on both gemstones and jewelry, and over the years I have made many friends within the trade in these five cities. So you can look for a steady flow of little treasures I discover in my travels, and I will be happy to share with you the best deals I can find through my industry acquaintances in these far-off Asian lands. Though I spend a good part of each year in Europe and Asia, most of the year I am here in the United States, and that's where all of my little treasures are. So you can count on quick shipping and careful packaging. And if I am not home - I have someone who does it for me!

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