This gem has been known to mankind for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians mined it on the tiny volcanic island of Zabargad, in the Red Sea. It was a great favorite of the pharaohs, and it's believed that Cleopatra's famed collection of Emeralds may really have been Peridots. Today, major producers include Myanmar, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and the United States (Arizona and Hawaii).
One of the most productive Peridot mines in the world is located on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, in southestern Arizona. Mining there is limited strictly to tribe members or those who have been given permission by the tribe.