THE EVENING EMERALD

Theo Fennell Gemfields Emerald Opening Kissing Frog Ring

If you are lucky enough to be born in sunny, summery August, then peridot is the birthstone for you. Known by The Romans as the evening emerald and the Egyptians as the gem of the sun, this gorgeous olivine stone was traditionally mined at night as it was not easily detected during the day. Known for its love, faithfulness, truth and loyalty properties, peridot is also the wedding anniversary gift celebrating sixteen years of marriage. As with most stones, peridot was thought to contain special powers. Traditionally it was strung onto donkey hair and then tied onto the left arm to ward off evil spirits and if the stone was held under the tongue of a person with a fever, the stone was thought to lessen the symptoms.

Peridot is one of the only gems that only occurs in one colour, which is an olive green. The tint, shade and intensity of the gem depends on how much iron is present in the structure meaning they can vary from yellow to olive – brownish green. The most valuable peridot colour is a dark olive green. 

Pandora August Birthstone Ring

Mentioned in the bible, peridot is considered a sacred stone by Christians with many holy men to this day wearing rings containing the stone along with amethyst as a symbol of morality and purity.

Peridot wears well having a hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs mineral hardness scale, which is similar to garnet and jade and is considered an affordable stone. The largest recorded cut peridot is 319 carats and was mined in Burma, which is still the place that leads the peridot mining, followed by Australia, Hawaii and Brazil.

Happy Birthday to all those born in August!