Summer is nearing the end, but it is not over yet! Get in your last minute adventures, whether it is traveling, a beach day, or simply spending time with the people you love before the weather changes again. August is our moment of lasts: graduated seniors last few weeks before going to college, parents spending time with their children before school starts, and everyone soaking in their last bit of sunshine. This month we learn to appreciate each moment. We need to live in the moment instead of only looking towards the future. This allows us to connect to the green of nature, appreciating the earth underneath our feet, a reminder of the August birthstone, peridot.

Peridot

August Birthstone:

Peridot is one of the few gems that occurs in only one color: GREEN! The shade of green ranges from lime to olive and is a form of the mineral olivine. Although olivine is a very abundant mineral, the gem quality peridot is more rare. It is one of the oldest known gemstones, with records documenting the mining of the peridot from as early as 1500 B.C. Peridot was first used as a talisman and has a longstanding mystical reputation once thought to ward off anxiety and used as a medical remedy. 

Fun Facts:

• Most gemstones are formed in the Earth’s crust, but the two exceptions are peridot and diamond which are formed much deeper in the Earth’s mantle. 
  • Peridot forms from magma in the upper mantle, about 20 to 55 miles deep and brought to the surface by tectonic or volcanic activity.
• People in medieval times confused the peridot with the emerald.
  • For centuries, it was believed the 200 carats of stones in the shrine of the Three Holy Kings in Germany’s Cologne Cathedral were emeralds when, in fact, they are peridots.
• Peridot can be found in some pallasites, which are forms of meteorites.
  • Pallasites consist of a metal matrix with peridot crystals embedded. 
    • When cut into slices, they are very unique and beautiful.
• In Hawaii, peridot symbolizes the tears of Hele, who is the goddess of fire and volcanoes.