Olivine can be found in everything from marble to meteors, but for people who like fine jewelry, the mineral is most appreciated because it’s the source of peridot. The green gemstone was first brought to Europe in the Middle Ages from Egypt, where it has been mined on an island in the Red Sea for more than 3,500 years. Today, Egypt remains a good source of peridot—a 312-carat example from that Egyptian island can be seen in the Smithsonian’s...Continue Reading