Peridot – The Gemstone Celebrating Summer

Peridot is certainly the gemstone of the summer. The vivid green color of Peridot is the ideal gemstone color to go with that light summer wardrobe. The fresh lime green of peridot is its distinctive signature. Its spring green color also is ideal with sky blue. It is green color is not pure green it has got a slight hint of gold. And that is why it is the birthstone for the month of August, which is the month of summer. It is the anniversary stone for the 16th year of marriage. The peridot is a very old gemstone, it can be found in Egyptian jewellery from the early 2nd millennium B.C. About 45 miles off the Egyptian coast at Aswan, on the small volcanic island in the Red Sea the deposit of peridot was found, which was not rediscovered until about 1900. It is also a modern gemstone for it was not until a few years ago that peridot deposits were located in the Kashmir region of India. The stones from the Kashmir deposits of India have beautiful color and transparency.

The ancient Romans were fond of this lively gemstone and esteemed its radiant green shine. The radiant green of this gemstone does not change even in artificial light and for this reason they nicknamed it the 'emerald of the evening'. In Europe in medieval churches Peridot is found, for example one of the shrines in Cologne Cathedral.

Deposits: - Peridot is found in Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Burma, Pakistan, Norway, Arizona and, Colorado, Hawaii, and New Mexico. Today most peridot is mined, often by hand, by Native Americans on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona. Estimation says that Peridot has been mined from St John's Island in the Red Sea for over 3500 years. An exciting new deposit of peridot was discovered in Pakistan in 1994, the stones of those deposits were considered to be among the finest ones ever seen.

Peridot has been valued for centuries. In the middle Ages people wore peridot to gain foresight and divine inspiration. Folklore believes that pirates favored peridot to protect them against evil. Peridot was greatly prized by Egyptian Kings. Legend is that some of Cleopatra's emeralds were in fact peridots.

It is also an excellent healing stone. It increases strength & physical vitality and Peridot also protects against nervousness and aids in healing hurt feelings. It is also thought to protect lungs, sinuses, and wrists from illness and injury. There are certain mystical powers attached to it. Peridot is used to help dreams become a reality and it is also believed to attract love. It is also useful to chase away negative emotions.

Properties of Peridot : -
Birthstone: August
Hardness: 6.5-7
Toughness: Poor
Specific gravity: 3.32 (+/- .05)
Refractive index: 1.654 to 1.69
Double refraction: +0.036
Treatment: Not currently know to be enhanced.
Reaction to heat: Poor, heat may cause fracturing.

Put some green in your life when you want a new state of balance, growth and when you want freedom to pursue new ideas. Celebrate summer with this beautiful rich green gemstone.