August’s birthstone is the Peridot (pronounced perry-dot, not perry-doh). Said to be a stone of healing powers, ancient beliefs link it to the heart chakra and imbue it with the power to strengthen the heart in compassion and in relationships, but particularly in marriage and is associated with love, harmony and dignity.
The splendid vivid green of this glorious stone makes it the perfect birthstone for August: the ideal shade is leaf green with a hint of gold. Unlike many precious gems, peridot comes in one colour only, though the depth and intensity of the colour can vary from yellowish green to dark olive and even to a brownish green.
The peridot was adored by the ancients; it has been found in Egyptian jewellery from as early as 2,000BC. The ancient Romans loved this captivating green gemstone too and celebrated the fact that its radiant green-gold shine doesn’t change even in artificial light, for which reason they nicknamed it the ’emerald of the evening’.
Peridot was popular in the middle ages and is in many medieval churches across Europe, where it adorns many a treasure. During the baroque period, the rich green gemstone once again enjoyed a brief popularit and then it somehow lost its fashionable status.
Its recent resurgence in popularity (and not just with the summer-born) is due in great part to the discovery, in the mid ‘90s, of significant peridot deposits in the Kashmir region. The stones from those deposits have an incomparably beautiful colour and transparency.
The most beautiful stones come from the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the peridot as a gemstone also exists in Myanmar, China, the USA, Africa and Australia. Stones from East Burma, now known as Myanmar, have a vivid light green and fine inclusions with a silky shine to them. Peridot from Arizona, where it is popularly used in native American jewellery, often has somewhat yellowish or gold-brown nuances.
All this means that anybody seeking to celebrate their August birthday with their August birthstone can find a stone to suit their demands, from colour to carat weight to cut.
Here at Christopher Evans we love working with beautiful stones and have a precious gem collection open to choose from, or can source the perfect stone to meet your needs.
