[4][7] Peretti began collecting minerals in his youth, accompanying his father on trips to mountains and rivers and using a small hammer to break stones.
[8][9] His field research was focused on the areas of the Forno Glacier, Grisons, and the Muretto Pass, and he visited Puschlav and Valtellina Malenco (Italy) to study ore formations in serpentine minerals for his doctorate.
[21] In 2020, he founded and continues to serve as director of the Dr Peretti Museum Foundation,[22] a nonprofit organization in Meggen that showcases Peretti's collection of approximately 2,000 fossils, gems, and minerals,[23][24] including the holotypes of the lizards Retinosaurus hkamtiensis,[19] Oculudentavis naga,[14] Electroscincus zedi,[20] and the amphibian Yaksha perettii, (all of which originate from amber found in different mining areas in Myanmar, including Burmese amber from the Hukawng Valley) and minerals such as pezzottaite,[15] painite,[16] johachidolite,[17] and Perettiite-(Y).
However, Peretti has warned that his assessment was made before the ongoing military coup and the recent conflicts with civil society that have emerged since 2021.
He emphasizes that significant future developments in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and mines will likely need careful monitoring.