Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August. At deBella Fine Gems & Jewelry Arts, this one of a kind ring features a 4.07ct multifaceted granny smith apple green peridot. With half a carat of additional flush set diamonds in 18k yellow gold. This ring is reminiscent of the final warm sunny summer days that August brings. It is no surprise that we are not the first to connect this bright lime green gemstone with the sun. Peridot has been used in jewelry and adornment for millennium. Some of the first peoples to utilize peridot were the ancient Egyptians. Peridot was know as the “Gem of the Sun”. Typically set in yellow gold, peridot was utilized to protect its wearer from “terrors of the night”. In Egypt peridot beads were strung on donkey hair and worn around the left arm to ward off evil spirits. One of the most famous Egyptians, Queen Cleopatra was know for her famous emerald collection. Yet historians now believe that her famous green gemstones were actually peridot mined on the Egyptian Island of Zabargad in the Red Sea (a renowned ancient source for the green gemstone).
Today peridot is one of the few precious gemstones who’s primary mining source comes from the United States, found at Arizona’s San Carlos Indian Reservation. Peridot is a plentiful gemstone commonly mined in sizes up to 5cts. Some of the rarest peridot known as Olivine or Pallasite literally comes from the stars. Although rarely used for jewelry purposes, this gem is formed deep inside the core of exploded planets and stars this extraterrestrial peridot is delivered to the earth via meteorites. The peridot in pallasite is surround by iron and nickel ore, when cut in thin slices and held up to the light this rare gemstone is reminiscent of an olive colored stain glass window. See more peridot and other rare gemstones while enjoying the final days of summer by visiting our main deBella Fine Gems & Jewelry Arts gallery located on the historic Santa Fe Plaza.
