A shimmering shade of lime is perfect for the last stretch of summer! Join Martha Stewart, Tony Bennett, Roger Federer, Mila Kunis, Chris Hemsworth and Coolio – all August birthday celebrants and would-be wearers of Peridot. The glittering green birthstone brings good luck and peace to the wearer.
From the olivine mineral family, peridot is called the “gem of the sun.” It is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one color, and its tint depends on the amount of iron contained in its crystal structure. Peridot ranges in color from yellowish-green to olive to brownish-green. Another fascinating fact: It has an extremely high double refraction. When you look closely through the gem, you can see two of each pavilion facet.
While Earth-bound peridot forms deep inside the earth and comes to the surface via volcanic activity, a small portion of the mineral has been found in the magnesium-rich olivine of meteorites, the Moon and Mars. Scientists even found it in the dust of a comet, Wild 2, named after Swiss astronomer Paul Wild. NASA’s Stardust Mission spacecraft flew by Wild 2 in 2004, collected particle samples from the comet and detected the green gem.
Did you know? Peridot is found in abundance in Arizona on the San Carlos Apache Reservation where Native American miners dig by hand to find the treasures. A nearby town even bears the name “Peridot.”
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