August Birthday Gifts

Peridot, the birthstone for August, has historic "powers" for healing and warding off nightmares. Formed deep within Earth, this gem is brought to the surface in many ways, but most commonly due to volcanic eruptions. The lime green color is the most traditional representations of this gem and can be seen in necklaces, beads, and more!

Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color: an olive-green. The intensity and tint of the green, however, depends on the percentage of iron that is contained in the crystal structure, so the color of individual Peridot gems can vary from yellow, to olive, to brownish-green. 

The principal source of peridot olivine today is the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona. It is also mined at another location in Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, and New Mexico at Kilbourne Hole, in the US; and in Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Kenya, Mexico, Mayanmar (Burman), Norway, Kashmir, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.  The largest cut peridot olivine is a 310 carat (62 g) specimen in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

Spinel is a relative new birthstone for August. Spinel comes in a wide range of colors. It is most frequently found in a ruby red or dark pink color, although there are other hues that range from mauve to lavender, pink, orange and pale blue or gray to deeper shades. The most desired color is vivid red, followed by cobalt blue, bright pink, and bright orange.