As it's August, that can only mean one gemstone......the beautiful, vivid Peridot!
I love this gemstone, I love the brightness and it reminds me of the bright green of spring, all those lovely new leaves after a time of bare trees and drizzle!
Peridot has always been associated with light and the ancient Egyptians called it the "gem of the sun". In fact, early records show that it was mined by the Egyptians on an island in the Red Sea called Topazios (now called St. John's Island) and is thought to be the first discovered source of peridot.
Peridot can also be found in meteorites from outer space! Although these tend to be very small pieces and rarely found in retail jewellery shops, there are some pieces that have made their way into jewellery.
The Esquel meteorite was discovered in Argentina by a farmer in 1951 whilst digging a hole fora water tank. The majority of it was bought by an American collector in 1992. It is unusual as it contains gem quality peridot in sizeable pieces that have been cut and faceted. There are different levels of certain minerals within the meteorite peridot and this makes it possible to tell apart the gems of this world to those from "other" worlds!
This picture shows a 1.12 carat peridot taken from the Esquel meteorite sat on a polished slice of it