August has three gemstones – peridot, spinel and sardonyx. I am only looking at the peridot in this post. Peridot is a lovely green gemstone. While the green colour can vary a bit, it is commonly a green which is similar in colour to new leaves in springtime. Quite distinctive and recognisible at first glance.
Peridot has been used as a gemstone for centuries. It was mined for over 3500 years on the island of Zabargad (now St John) in the Red Sea. It is still used in jewellery today although it was most popular during the late Georgian and Edwardian periods. In the latter period, it became associated with the suffragette movement. Women suffragettes wore colours of green, white and violet, standing for ‘give women votes’. Jewellery contained peridot (green for give), pearls (white for women) and amethyst (violet for votes). Unfortunately, I haven’t any suffragette jewellery to show you.
Peridot mix well with other coloured gemstones. It blends in beautifully with the labradorite in the necklace above and adds a sparkle of bright green to multigem jewellery like the necklaces below.
navette jewellery 