Peridot - the birthstone for August

Wear a Peridot or for thee, 

No conjugal fidelity, 

The August born without this stone, 

`Tis said, must live unloved; alone.

The birthstone for August - Peridot is one of the few gemstones that occur in only one colour; green. Although the intensity and tint of the green hue is dependent on how much iron it contains and individual peridot gems can vary from a sparkling pale yellowy green to deep olive. 

Whilst the most valuable peridots are usually the less common deep olive shades, I prefer that zingy fresh pale green and tend to go with that for my designs. And yes, it does help that it keeps the cost reasonable!

It looks perfect with sparkly sterling silver!

Peridot is the gem form of the mineral olivine, and it is formed by extreme heat and pressure in volcanoes and is then forced to the surface in the lava. It is also, (less frequently) found in meteors that land on the earth’s surface. It's amazing to wonder what that little shiny stone on your earrings has been through and how long it took to form. 

Peridot is also a great stone for weddings in August, and is the gemstone for 16th wedding anniversarys.

These gorgeous handmade calla lilies hold a teeny faceted peridot stone within.

I must get some more peridot designs up in the shop, as it really is a gorgeous gem! 

Bridesmaid Gifts

I've been asked to make a few gifts for bridesmaids recently. So much so that I'm going to set up a few bridesmaid packages in my shops over the next week or so, to make it easier for the bride to be!

With all the lovely gemstones out there it's usually pretty easy to find a gorgeous stone to match the wedding colours perfectly.

I can make matching bridesmaids jewellery using many of my designs, but the big favourites have always been my leaf pendant, the lily pendant and matching wire wrapped earrings.

This set, made for each of the three bridesmaids at a Surrey wedding, was to compliment a rich purple theme. We chose these gorgeous facetted amethysts which matched beautifully. The bride also showed me some hair combs she had already chosen for the bridesmaids which had some delicate pale grey pearls. I found an identical coloured pearl to tie in with the jewellery design.

Another of my favourite designs for bridesmaids gifts is my lily pendant. I made these recently for a bride in York.

The pale lime green of the peridot was perfect to match the fresh green wedding colours. The facetted gems are small, but add a gorgeous touch of colour to the simple lily design. The bride was so happy with them that she ordered a further peridot pendant to be given to a friend who was doing a reading at the service.

I do hope the bridesmaids liked them!!