Come summer and everything turns green, the nature, clothes and even jewelry. The beautiful shades of green, ranging from light yellowish green to a deeper olive green, Peridot surely compliments the summer outfits.

August's birthstone, Peridot (pronounced pair-a-doe) is the gemstone for the 16th anniversary as well. 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. 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. But this gem is surely a challange for the cutter, due to it high tension crystal structure. This stone is cut according to its crystal structure in classical table, facetted cuts, round, antique, octagonal or oval shapes.

Peridot has been popular since 1500 BC with the Greeks and Romans. The Egyptians believed that the stone had the power to ward off anxiety, enhance speech, and foster success in relationships and marriage and called it the "gem of the sun".

In Europe, peridot is found 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.

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.

Keywords:  Peridot,  August Birthstone,  Gemstone