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Forsterite var. PeridotSt. John's Island, Red Sea, Egypt0.45 centimeters
A small partial crystal of peridot from St. Johns Island showing excellent form, transparency, and color. The best known examples of the species for thousands of years, and not collected since the early 1900's due to the area becoming an Egyptian national park. Archaeological evidence points to mining of peridot here to 250 BC, and the locality was written of by Pliny the Elder. The "emeralds" of Cleopatra were peridots from St. John's.From the collection of Ralph Merrill, proprietor of Minerals Unlimited from the 1940's until his passing in 2001.
