If you’re still young enough to remember your birthday, you
probably also remember the special birthstone assigned to it.
But at your age, we bet you don’t really know the SIGNIFICANCE
of your birthstone and what power the ancients felt would be
bestowed about you by wearing it. August Birthstone: Peridot
Birthstone Properties: Illumination Alternative Birthstone:
Sardonyx Peridot is the birthstone for August and 16th
anniversary gemstone. Its name comes from the Arabic word
“faridat,” meaning gem. Peridot is sometimes referred to as an
“Evening Emerald” because under artificial light it glows as a
brilliant green. Peridot is transparent with subtle color in a
variety of greens, ranging from light yellowish green to a dark
olive. The purer green a peridot is, the higher the value. Any
tinge of brown greatly diminishes the value of a peridot, as
well as visible flaws. Ancient History Found in both early Greek
and early Roman jewelry, peridot has been popular since 1500 BC
when the Egyptians started mining it. The Egyptians called the
lustrous stone the “gem of the sun” and believed it had the
power to ward off anxiety, enhance speech, and foster success in
relationships and marriage. Peridot crystals are sometimes
combed from the black sands of Hawaii where the gemstone is
abundant and available in larger sizes. Hawaiians believe that
peridot is the tears shed by Pele, the volcano goddess. Pele
must have traveled extensively, however, because peridot is also
mined in Burma, Norway, Brazil, Australia, Hawaii, the Congo,
and in Arizona. Peridot is found in Europe in many medieval
churches decorating several treasures, including the Cologne
Cathedral. Peridot use peaked during the Baroque era, but the
gemstone fell out of favor over time until the 1990′s when a new
source in Pakistan re-ignited interest in the forgotten stone.
Take Two and Call Me in the Morning Legend has it that drinking
from a peridot goblet can increase the potency of medicines.
Egyptian priests drank from cups made of peridot, believing it
would draw them closer to Isis, their goddess of nature. Peridot
was said to be useful for calming raging angers, curing nervous
afflictions and promoting tranquility in high-strung
individuals. Many legends state that peridot was considered a
powerful amulet against all evil, as well as a remedy for sinus
problems. Powdered peridot has been used to cure asthma, while a
peridot stone placed under the tongue of someone with fever is
believed to lessen his/her thirst. Making Dreams Come True
Peridot was thought to help dreams become a reality, and was
often given as a symbol of fame, strength and vitality…as well
as promise of new growth in the years ahead. It also symbolizes
eloquence and persuasiveness. Peridots were especially favored
by pirates. The terrors of the sea considered peridot powerful
amulets against all evil, and when set in gold, were said to
protect the wearer from the terrors of the night…including
nightmares.