AUGUST BIRTHSTONE - PERIDOT

Since ancient time, the peridot was regarded as a symbol of the sun. The Greeks believed that it brought dignity to the person wearing it.

Peridot is a transparent variety of olivine, a mineral composed of magnesium-iron silicates. The colour of olivine ranges from olive to lime green, sometimes with a brownish tinge. The green color is due to the presence of iron, while the brownish tinge indicates higher iron content.

Some of the finest Peridot stones are called ‘evening emeralds’ because they appear greener under artificial light.

An island in the Red Sea — named Zabargad, which means olivine in Arabic — has been mined for Peridot since ancient times. It is a small desolate island, where nothing grows, there is no fresh water, and it is hot all year round except the middle of winter. In some locations on the island, fissures are lined with gem crystals ranging from millimeters to several centimeters. Beaches near the deposits have a greenish hue due to tiny green Peridot crystals.

Peridot crystals are also found in the Mogok district of Burma, Norway, Brazil, China, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Mexico. In the United States, small stones can be found in the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona.

The gold throne in Istanbul’s Topkapi museum is decorated with 955 Peridot cabochons up to 1 inch across, and there are also peridots used as turban ornaments and on jeweled boxes. The largest stone is believed to be a 310 carat gem that belongs to the Smithsonian. A 192 carat stone of fine clear olive-green is part of the Russian crown jewels, in the Kremlin.