Olivine, chrysolite, peridot are all names for the same stone. Chrysolite is a gem variety of olivine, and peridot is a synonym for olivine. The German geologist Werner called the green mineral olivine, and the ancient Greeks called any golden-green stones chrysolite. What "peridot" means today is not exactly known. There is a version that it has Arabic roots and may have come from the word "faridat" - "precious stone".

Interestingly, olivine is found not only on Earth. This stone is common in many types of meteorites.

On Earth, olivine is often found inside volcanic rocks. When the volcano is destroyed by sea surf, beaches of green olivine sand are sometimes formed. For example, one of these beaches was discovered in Hawaii.

Olivine is one of the main minerals of the lunar regolith, a product of space weathering of the Moon's rock. The content of olivine in the soil sample delivered by the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa from the asteroid Itokawa is 39% (the most common mineral in the sample).

The color of olivine varies from emerald green to olive green with a golden sheen. It is curious that, despite the rather long history (olivine was known as early as 4000 BC), it was confused with other stones for quite a long time. So, for example, Pliny called chrysolites all golden-yellow-green stones, including topazes.

Olivine, having a hardness of 6.5-7, is considered a fairly fragile stone, so products with it must be protected from shock and strong mechanical stress.

According to ancient Egyptian legends that have come down to our time, chrysolite "hides" from people during the day, so in Egypt in ancient times it was mined exclusively at night.
This was due to the fact that the olivine was too bright to be seen in the sun-drenched Egyptian desert. The legend also says that he is able to glow in the night.

Olivine is one of the best mascots for those born under the sign of Pisces.
Pisces are often withdrawn and unsociable, but the stone will give them a spark that will allow people to like them.