Featuring Cynthia Findlay Estate & Vintage Jewellery

Beautiful Peridot Jewellery makes a statement. Check our website soon for details on these pieces for sale!

Here we are in August, when green growth around us is at its peak and the heat of the day gives way to cooler evenings. It is the month of Peridot, a cool, clear green stone, found in a range of hues that call to mind summer lushness, like vibrant grass, ripening apples, refreshing limes or the deep earthy tone of an olive.

Peridot is often mistaken for emerald, though it is lighter, more transparent and less refractive; giving the stone a subtle glow rather than the bright sparkle of emerald. And unlike other gems, whose colors come from impurities in their composition, peridot is an idiochromatic stone – meaning it is colored by itself. Peridot appears green because of iron in the olivine (the actual name of the mineral). The clearest and most vibrant green stones are the most valuable; and because Peridot is a relatively soft stone, it is easy to cut, facet and make into nearly any shape.

But it’s likeness to emerald is only part of how Peridot earned the name Evening Emerald. It is said that this stone is difficult to see in daylight- but under the light of the moon or lantern light, it becomes luminous, the glow making it easier to find. Because of this, throughout history Peridot has been located and even mined at night; giving rise to the myth that Peridot disappears in daylight.

This gem is considered to be a tonic for the entire body in many healing traditions and the soothing green colour is believed to promote calmness and peace of mind.

Exchange Peridot with a friend to encourage warmth and affection. As a token of happiness and good wishes, present Peridot to brides and as birthday gifts; and as the official gemstone of the first wedding anniversary, beautiful Peridot is a gift symbolic of love when it is still fresh and green as an August garden.