Spotlight on peridot, birthstone for August!

This beautiful lime-green stone was mined by the ancient Egyptians, who prized it as the "gem of the sun".

Amazingly, peridot can also be found in pallasite meterorites, which were formed when our solar system was born! In 2005 it was also found in comet dust brought back by a space probe.

With a Moh's hardness of 6.5-7, peridot is considered to have "fair to good" toughness. It is not as heard-wearing as sapphires, rubies or diamonds, but around the same as garnets. So as long as care is taken, jewellery set with peridots can be worn every day, just be mindful not to scratch it or subject it to hard blows which could cause it to fracture.

Warm soapy water is the best method of cleaning for peridot jewellery. Leave it to soak overnight and then gently use a toothbrush to clean off any dirt to keep your jewellery looking vibrant and sparkly!

All these beautiful peridot pieces are available in our shop, and can be found on our website here: https://www.oliverandj.co.uk/shop?Gemstone=Peridot

Please do let us know if you'd like any more information or you'd like us to set something aside so you can pop into our shop and see it in person.

See you soon!