September Birthstone- Peridot: Gem of the Sun

September Birthstone- Peridot: Gem of the Sun

Nature's Treasures Team

If you ask people what September's birthstone is most would say Sapphire and they would be correct; however, that is one of the more modern changes that jewelers have made to our birthstones. This month we are reaching back through time and putting forth Peridot as our featured birthstone for September. Yes, you read that correctly-- for September, not August as many jewelers have Peridot listed as an August birthstone.

Ancient Arabic, Hebrew, Italian and Russian calendars all list Peridot as the birthstone for September. Additionally, from the 15th to early 20th century Chrysolite (another name for Peridot) was the stone of choice as September's birthstone.

PERIDOT

Peridot is an Olivine that ranges in color from a light yellow green to dark brown green. It is distinctive from most other gemstones because Peridot and Diamonds are the only gemstones that originate from Earth's molten, rocky mantle. It often blasts out of volcanoes, separating itself from the lava and raining down as small, rough, crystalline gems. All other gemstones, besides Peridot and Diamonds, are thought to form in the Earth's crust.

There is also an extraterrestrial Olivine in existence that is called Pallasite Peridot. These specimens are very rare and valuable. It is believed they originated from an asteroid or possibly a rocky, mantle planet/meteorite assumed to have been in orbit somewhere between Mars and Jupiter.

Most of us have heard the term stardust, right? How about Olivine Rain? NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope received images of tiny Olivine crystals that fell through a cloud of gas in a developing star. It was likened to an “Olivine rain”. How amazing is that? I guess the Egyptians were right to call it the Gem of the Sun since the Sun is a star. Interestingly, Olivine has also been found on our Moon and on Mars.

The name Peridot is thought to come from the Arabic word for gem “Faridat”. Yet since ancient times it was known as Chrysolite which some believe comes from the Greek words Kreusos (gold) and lithos (stone) or goldstone.

Often people are confused as to the pronunciation of Peridot. Most people pronounce it Pear-a-doe, however many pronounce it as Pear-a-dot. It is thought the latter pronunciation is due to a large mining operation in Peridot, AZ in the USA. That town produces a large amount of Peridot and they pronounce their town as Pear-a-dot. In 1904 Peridot mining in this area became recognized as a gem source. Apache Indians had been mining the area before that.

The first known records of mining Peridot date back to 1500 BC. East of Egypt, the island of Zabargad (aka St. John's Island) lies in the Red Sea. Beautiful specimens were found here and due to those records it marks Peridot as one of the oldest gemstones to ever be mined. This site was mined for over 3500 years and is considered to be depleted.

Some of the finest specimens today come from Burma, China, Pakistan, USA (Arizona) and Vietnam. They can be found in numerous other places like Australian, Brazil and Norway.

HISTORY & FOLKLORE

Historically, Peridot has been favored by many cultures. Peridot is the National Gem of Egypt where they have called it the “Gem of the Sun” since ancient times. It has also been called a stone of strength and stone of study over it's historical lifetime.

Many believe Cleopatra's famous collection of emeralds were actually Peridot and her favorite stone. Egyptian priests had cups lined with Peridot that they drank from in tribute to the Goddess Isis. They also did this to heal various maladies.

The Ancient Romans referred to it as “evening emerald” due to the color remaining light and bright at night. They also felt it gave them strength and wealth, protecting them from enemies. Throughout history many cultures believed that Peridot would not only bring them wealth, protection and power but would also ward against jealousy, evil thoughts and nightmares.

In Christian folklore, Peridot signified moral purity and they are to this day worn by high ranking Catholic Church officials. The Crusaders brought Peridot back to Europe with them and decorated many medieval churches with it, presumably because Peridot has been associated with light and purity. Peridot is mentioned in the Bible under the Hebrew name pitdah (thought to be Chrysolite) and it is believed to be one of the stones in the High Priests breastplate.

In Hawaii, USA, Peridot is known as the Hawaiian Diamond. Tiny Peridot wash up on their sandy beaches and Papakolea Beach's sand is actually green because of the large amounts of Olivine in it. In Hawaiian native folklore, Peridots are believed to be both gifts and tears of Pele, the Volcano Goddess. Pele is characterized as jealous and her temper fierce. Pele's Curse is a 20th century superstition which states that anyone who takes a stone, sand, shell, or any natural treasure from Hawaii will have many, many years of bad luck. We will leave it up to you whether you believe in such things or not.

Some of the Goddesses associated with Peridot are: Isis, Egyptian Mother Goddess and Goddess of Healing and Magic; Persephone, Greek Goddess of Spring; and the aforementioned Pele, Hawaiian Goddess of Fire and Volcanoes.

HEALING PROPERTIES & USES

In modern times, Peridot is considered to be a stone of transformation that can help you mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Peridot is thought to help those recovering from addictions, whether tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc. It is believed to amplify the energy during Reiki.

Use Peridot in meditation to facilitate finding and experiencing an enlightened state. Many believe it can help you to find lost items, including yourself. Wear or put Peridot under your pillow to allow peaceful sleep and avert nightmares.

This beautiful green stone is used for bringing personal luck and for alleviating the darkness of depression. Peridot is also said to disperse personal blockages that are preventing you from progression by opening your heart and mind to realize you are deserving to move forward. It is also a stone of abundance and joy.

Peridot works on both your solar plexus and heart chakras, unifying the two and helping to quell our fears and open our hearts to embrace and understand our own needs and emotions. Peridot is the traditional 16th Wedding Anniversary gift, as well

You can cleanse your Peridot with warm, soapy water and soft cloth. Just make sure that all soapy residue is gone. Do NOT use ultrasonic cleaners or steamers. Of course, you can also smudge, use sound (bells, singing bowls, ting-sha) or your preferred cleansing method.

We want to wish a very Happy Birthday to all our September Friends! How wonderful to discover that Peridot is one of your very personal stones that not only is from our beautiful and wondrous planet Earth but is truly star born as well. What a beautiful, mystical and wondrous stone to wear or carry as you traverse your own magical and amazing life path.

P.S. If you would like to read about one of your other birthstones, Sapphire, we have another informative article for you here.