The Power of Peridot

What is Peridot?  Peridot is a bright green to yellow-green gemstone and is the birthstone for August.  The major world supplier for peridot is the United States with the majority of mines being located in Arizona, and some in New Mexico.  While mines in the U.S. produce large amounts of peridot, the finer, more rare and higher quality stones are mined in Myanmar, Egypt and Pakistan.

History and Folklore:  Cleopatra was known for her love of peridot, and it has been said that some of her "emeralds" were actually peridot.  According to legend, peridot possesses magical powers to protect against evil, calm anger, repel negative thoughts, and attract love.

Wearing Peridot:  The tranquil green color of peridot makes it particularly suitable for wearing in the summer months.  Both gold and silver compliment the stone nicely.  It is generally a pleasant, lightweight jewel that can be worn on a casual everyday basis, but can just as easily adorn your evening wear as well.

In addition to actual peridot gemstones, many beautiful pieces of jewelry can be found using glass replicas of peridot.  Check out some of these beautiful peridot gemstone and glass jewelry items created by various Etsy artisans that I organized into an Etsy treasury entitled  Peridot Perfection.


The earrings below are an example of using a combination of peridot glass gems and actual peridot gemstones:

Green Lampwork and Peridot Earrings