Peridot

The most fascinating thing about gemstones is that they are available in such a fine array of colors and shades that are not just vibrant and full of life but also unique in its own way. Every gemstone has a distinct beauty of its own that sets it apart from the rest in the family. Nature has indeed been generous in showering us with some of the most beautiful and immensely gorgeous gemstones one of them being the fresh, green colored peridot. For someone who is in love with the color green this lovely gemstone is sure to make an impression with a shade of green that exudes youthfulness, vitality and a freshness that is rare.

The love for peridots is not recent and in fact dates back to centuries ago when these gemstones were first discovered in Egypt in a small island called Zabargard almost four thousand years ago. We are all aware that emeralds were the chosen gemstone of the Queen of Egypt, the ravishing Cleopatra, but what many of us don’t know is that she loved peridots equally well and many of her jewelry that have been mistaken for emeralds have actually been the stunning peridots.

Peridots also find mention in the Bible under the name of ‘Chrysolite’ and many early Christians considered these gemstones as holy and even today many Catholic Bishops wear peridot in rings as a symbol of purity and peace. A lot of medieval churches have also witnessed a generous inlay of peridots within their walls.

The charming peridots are said to bring peace, prosperity and good luck to the wearer. These stones are also blessed with healing powers and are advantageous for one’s overall health and wellbeing. These bright looking gemstones also keep away all negativity and attract love and harmony. They also keep one’s anger and rage in control and help sooth the nerves.

Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August besides being the anniversary stone for the sixteenth wedding anniversary. These gemstones range between 6.5 and 7 on Mohs scale of hardness.

Peridot, the gemstone with its cool green color is the birthstone for the month of August. Vivid green with a hint of yellow is its signature color. Peridot is the most popular gem variety from the Olivine group of stones.

This leafy green gemstone also called as ‘Chrysolite’ and ‘Olivine’; has been in existence for thousands of years and commands great respect. Many ancient philosophers such as Pliny the Elder spoke of a gemstone which from its description seems like peridot. This precious gemstone has been mined from Saint John’s Island for over 3000 years. Peridot is also the national gem of Egypt and is referred to as ‘the gem of the sun’.

In Hawaii these beautiful stones are referred to as tears of Goddess Pele. This gem has also been known to decorate many medieval churches.

These gemstones are one of those few gems that occur in only one color. Their distinctive color is attributed to the extreme conditions in which they are formed. Peridots are extracted from rocks from volcanoes and sometimes also from the meteors that fall on earth. These stones are many times confused with emeralds. Romans referred to them as ‘evening emeralds’, as the color becomes much more prominent in the night, closer to an emerald.

The name is derived from the Greek word ‘peridona’ which literally means ‘richness’. Peidot is also the zodiac stone for the constellation ‘Libra’. It is believed that the stone frees its wearer from evil spells and is a cure to nightmares. It is symbolic of truth, faithfulness, and friendship.

Island of Zebirget also known as Saint John’s island is still a supplier of excellent peridots as in antiquity. Other than this, even Burma and China were celebrated for their fine and large peridots. Then suddenly in mid 1990’s, a big source of these vivid green gemstones was discovered in the valleys of Kashmir. These peridots had rich green color and following the success of the sapphires from the same region, these were offered as ‘Kashmir peridots’.

Peridots are also the anniversary stone for 16 years of marriage and are symbolic of happiness in a relationship. Peridot jewelry makes excellent gifts for birthdays and anniversaries. Peridots score a 6.5 on Moh’s scale and so it is advisable that they should be handled with care.

PERIDOT ~ THE EVENING EMERALD

As August marches the summer, all August born, go for greens. Birthstone for the month of August, Peridot is also known as ‘evening emerald’. Possibly the most soothing of colors, green is that one particular gift of nature which soothes tirelessly and brings a sense of tranquility and peace.

Going back in History, you have the Egyptians and the Romans using peridots in jewelry. After reasonable obscurity, peridot has again come to fore as recently as 1900s. The most striking feature of this stone is that it does not change color even with change of light, something that even rubies and sapphires cannot boast of. The peridot is a healthy variant in green gemstones like jadeite, green tourmaline, tsavorite garnet and the exquisite emeralds. Hailed as pistachio to olive green in color, peridot romances many a heart.

Personally, I looked for green gemstones that are there on earth, and settled for the exclusive emeralds.

At first, I was daunted by the thought of what an emerald could cost. But my preconceptions came tumbling down as I researched and discovered that depending upon the features of emeralds and the variations found therein, emeralds are easily accessible to my meager self as well.

The most significant feature in emeralds is the color. All other aspects pale in comparison when you have ‘the right’ color of emerald. Due to their inherent crystal structure, emeralds are known to be flawed (to have inclusions), and it is very rare to find a large, clear emerald.

At Angara, besides lab created emeralds that I just drool over, there are qualities categorized as ‘good, better and best’. The variations in features of emeralds make for these classes. Lab created emeralds are exactly identical in composition to natural emeralds, only that they have been created in laboratories, in processes that simulate the deep earth conditions. This is what makes Angara the perfect gemstone destination, because the practice is to cater to every segment of society, and to apprise the customer of the exact quality of the gemstone they are choosing.