With luck, the tribal miners come across peridot inclusions that contain relatively large and unshattered fragments of gemmy peridot (See Above). Imagine how difficult it is to break the basalt by hand and screen out the gem material. Blasting the rock in the gem zone would only further shatter the desired material. We estimate that the useful peridot fragments represent less than 1% of the total olivine that has to be broken free and screened! The outstanding color and beauty of San Carlos peridot makes the effort worthwhile (A suite of faceted peridot from San Carlos). Gem rough is available for purchase from local miners or brokers.