Peridot

The bright, refreshing birthstone for August and chosen gem for the 15th wedding anniversary.

 

Peridot has long been associated with light. Being deemed the “gem of the sun" by Egyptians and believed to bring confidence, power and good health to its wearer. It was also believed to protect them from “terrors of the night,” and more so when set in gold. Others strung the gems and tied them around their left arms to ward off evil spirits. 

 

Its beautifully bright and calming color is thanks to iron and magnesium, producing a range from a yellowish-green to pure green, to earthy brownish-yellow olive tones, making them a very sought after jewelry choice.  

 

Some historians believe that Cleopatra’s famous emerald collection might actually have been compromised of peridot! And for centuries, people believed the ornate 200-ct. gems adorning the shrine of the Three Holy Kings in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral were emeralds. They are, in fact, peridots.

 

 

Peridot is known to form under extreme conditions, as most are formed deep inside the Earth and delivered to the surface by lava. Rarely, peridot can have an extraterrestrial source, being contained in meteorites that have fallen to earth.   

Much of today's peridot seen in jewelry comes from a variety of sources, such as China, Myanmar, Pakistan, Tanzania, Vietnam and the United States. Although some Peridot has journied to Earth on pallasite meteorites and others are found in exotic locales like Peridot Beach, Hawaii, where the sands shimmer a luminous green.

Arizona is the main source in the United States. Massive volcanic eruptions many thousands of years ago sent rivers of lava spilling across the desert landscape of what is today the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, where some Apache families have worked the mines for decades.

 

 

Caring for your Peridot 

 

Fun Fact