3.77 ct Peridot #913150

In 1994, peridot was discovered in the Sapat Valley, Pakistan. The mines follow the veins and pockets high in the mountains of West Sapat Gali, near lake Lulusar, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

With a mine elevation at over 4,000 meters above sea level, mining is seasonal and restricted to the summer months, as the winter weather is too harsh and the mine too dangerous to reach during that period of the year. The area is also extremely remote, with the only access being on horseback or on foot on a trail approximately 40km long, starting from the town of Dassu and going through the Jalkot valley. Due to these limiting factors, mining in Sapat Gali is small scale in nature, using basic equipment, and manual sorting.

Material usually comes to the market in its natural crystal form. It can be difficult to work with, as much of the rough's surface is covered by serpentine and can be fairly included. Nevertheless, the quantities and sizes of peridot from Sapat make it possible to cut large clean stones, as well as perfectly matched pairs and suites.

Pakistani peridot comes in a wide range of colors from yellowish green a rich, intense green color. A small part of the production displays a lovely and unusual bright mint green color, due to a very low iron content.