McCaskill & Company would like to wish a very happy birthday to all of the August babies! How lucky are you to have the gorgeous peridot as your birthstone?
Peridot is derived from the Greek word 'peridona' meaning "giving plenty." The gemstone is one of the few gemstones that occurs in only one color, an olive-green. The intensity and tint of green will depend on how much iron is in the crystal; which means that the color of an individual peridot will vary from yellow to olive to brownish-green. The most values color is dark olive-green. Peridot is an olivine mineral that is found in lava, meteorites and deep in the earth's mantle. While olivine is considered a very abundant mineral, the gem quality peridot is rather rare.
Peridot is such an ancient gemstone is can be found in Egyptian jewelry from the early 2nd millennium BC. Egyptians called it the "gem of the sun." Ancient Romans were also found of this gemstone and esteemed its radiant green shine (which does not change even in artificial light). Romans nicknamed peridot 'emerald of the evening.' This gemstone can also be found in Europe in medieval churches, adorning many a treasure, like one of the shrines in the Cologne Cathedral. During the baroque period, this rich green gemstone was often used.
Stop by McCaskill & Company and check out these fabulous designers that work with peridot: Erica Courtney, Marco Bicego, Jean Francios Albert, JudeFrances, Gurhan, and Alex Sepkus.
