August birthstone
Peridot
The August birthstone is peridot, with spinel and sardonyx as the recognized alternates. Peridot is gem quality olivine and is one of the very few gemstones that occurs in only one color, a yellowish green whose exact tone depends on how much iron the crystal contains. At 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale it needs a protective setting for daily wear.
- Species
- Gem quality olivine
- Color range
- Yellowish green to olive green
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5 to 7
- Also this month
- Spinel, Sardonyx
Peridot had a moment in Edwardian and Arts and Crafts jewelry, where its soft green sat well with the period's taste for gentle color, seed pearls and openwork gold. It appears again in mid-century gold pieces, usually as a large open cut stone with plenty of surface.
The stone has an unusually high birefringence, which means light splits in two as it passes through. Look through the table of a well cut peridot at the back facet edges and you can often see them doubled. It is a genuinely useful identification clue and it costs nothing to check.
Spinel, one of the alternates, deserves more attention than it gets. It occurs in red, pink, blue and purple, it is harder than peridot at 8, and for centuries large red spinels were mistaken for rubies, including in some famous historical objects.
In antique and vintage jewelry
Edwardian and Arts and Crafts pendants and brooches with openwork gold and seed pearls, mid-century cocktail rings with large open cut stones, and Victorian suites.
Wearing and caring for it
Peridot is sensitive to sudden temperature change and to acids, and it scratches more easily than a sapphire or a ruby. Clean it with warm water, mild soap and a soft brush, and keep it out of ultrasonic and steam cleaners.
As a gift
A distinctive color that very few modern pieces use, which is exactly why an Edwardian peridot pendant feels found rather than bought.
Common questions
Does peridot come in other colors?
No. It is one of the few gemstones that occurs in a single hue. The variation is only in how yellow or how olive the green reads, which depends on the iron content.
Is peridot durable enough for a ring?
In a bezel or a protected setting, yes, but at 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale it will show surface wear faster than a harder stone. It is a better choice for a pendant or earrings if you want it untouched.
What is sardonyx?
A banded chalcedony of reddish brown sard alternating with white onyx, used since antiquity for carved cameos and intaglios. It is the oldest of the three August stones by tradition.
Shop the pieces
Shop peridot jewelry
Antique and vintage pieces set with peridot, each one a single example.
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