August’s birthstone is a beautiful green stone called peridot. Sandwiched in between July’s birthstone of ruby and blue sapphire for September, you might think it’s a lesser known stone; but it is, to pardon the pun, a real gem.
About peridot, August’s birthstone
August’s birthstone is a peridot, a beautiful olivey-green stone. What I love about it being August’s birthstone is that, at least in the Northern hemisphere, its golden sunkissed tones reflect the weather of the month!
This is why it’s also sometimes referred to as “the gem of the sun”, and also goes under the alternative name of Chrysolite, which comes from the Greek for ‘golden stone’.
Peridot is made of olivine, a compound of two minerals. On the MOHS scale, which measures resistance to scratching, peridot has a hardness of 6.5-7, which means it’s on the harder end (pearl has a MOHS rating of 3, whilst diamond is the hardest at 10).
Peridot is quite a unique gem for many reasons. As opposed to gems like sapphire, peridot has a narrow colour spectrum: this means that though the shade of green may change, a peridot will always be green. Peridot is also formed much deeper in the earth than most other mineral gems, in the mantle rather than the crust.
The history of peridot
Peridot has a long and sparkling human history that spans over 4,000 years, reaching from Ancient Egypt to Ancient Greece to Ancient Rome and the Bible, under its alternative name Chrysolite.
The Ancient Egyptians mined some of the first on Zabargad Island, an Egyptian island in the Red Sea. Historically Zabargad Island was named Topazios Island, which is why the Ancient Greeks called peridot Topazios – no relation to topaz, confusingly!
Whilst peridot isn’t technically fluorescent or phosphorescent, these miners believed that the gem absorbed sunlight during the day and then glowed in the dark, so they worked at night.
The ancient Romans also believed this, and named it ‘the evening Emerald’. Throughout history, peridot has often been mistaken for emerald, and some historians believe that Cleopatra’s infamous emerald collection was actually peridot.
The largest cut peridot in the world is at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and weighs an incredibly rare 310 carats. We also have a 146-carat peridot in London, at the Geological Museum.
Meteorites, Mars and the Moon
And it’s not just earth that peridot features on, either: peridot has been found in meteorites over the centuries, including the Imilac Meteorite on display at the Natural History Museum (at 4.5 billion years old, it’s the oldest artefact in the Hintze Hall there). In addition, the Apollo missions found peridot on the moon, and more recently NASA found evidence of it on Mars. Pretty cool, huh?
The meaning of peridot
Peridot is closely associated with good luck and protection. In Hawaiian mythology, peridot is said to be the tears of Pele, the goddess of fire, lightning, wind and dance (she’s also the fiery guardian of volcanoes, which is often how peridot gets above the earth). She shed these tears when she was exiled from her homeland, and from here it’s believed that peridot is closely connected to protection and healing.
In India, peridot was used as a symbol of wealth. In China, it was believed to bring good luck and fortune, whilst ancient Egyptians believed that peridot was a gift from the sun god Ra and could ward off evil spirits and protect against disease. It was often used in amulets and talismans.
This ability to protect people intensified if the stone was set in gold or another precious metal. This is why peridots were often found on sword handles, because they thought it would bring great strength and power. It’s also why peridots were often commonly laid into goblets: because people believed that this would infuse the properties into any drink the goblet held, in effect creating a potion.
Peridot is also often associated with Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty, because legend states it was her favourite stone.
As well as being August’s birthstone, peridot is the gem for 16th anniversary presents, or can be used as an alternative to gold for 1st anniversary presents, thanks to its association with radiance and good luck.
Peridot jewellery for August’s birthstone
Fallen in love with the gem of the sun? Perhaps you’re looking for August birthstone jewellery for a loved one, or for yourself; a wedding anniversary gift for your 1st or your 16th or maybe you’re looking for some peridot jewellery just because (I can’t blame you, it’s a beauty).
My lichen birthstone collection is made of ethically sourced peridots set in stunning recycled gold and silver designs. Each piece has an organic, textural shape inspired by lichen, one of nature’s most jaw-dropping creations, and were created to help you feel grounded and connected to the world, no matter what’s going on around you.
Shop peridot jewellery for August’s birthstone, or check out the other birthstones in the collection.
