Birthstones and Website Updates

I’ve been doing a website refresher and it’s almost done – tell me what you think of the changes. You can link to my website at www.pearlandgemstonejewelry.com or with www.dianakirkpatrick.com.

There’s an all new home page and now you can write a review of the products you’ve purchased and also include a rating.
The traditional August birthstone is peridot, a beautiful green/yellow stone which is very popular for jewelry. Peridot is a gem that has been known and used since ancient times and is often associated with the sun. Currently most peridot comes from the southwestern US in Arizona and NM, although the best stones are from Myanmar and Pakistan. Larger clear stones are difficult to find – peridot is prone to inclusions so a clean stone is more valuable. So far there are no synthetic forms of peridot.

Peridot is wonderful when set in silver but the ancients often set peridot in gold to heighten its powers. Peridot has long been valued for its healing properties and its protective qualities. Peridot (also known as olivine) was mined in ancient Egypt and is believed to cure diseases of the liver, improve digestive ailments and treat problems with the kidneys, bladder, gall bladder, and the stomach. Peridot is thought to cleanse the emotions and aid in combating depression. Today it is often associated with success, peace and good fortune.

Peridot is a fairly soft stone and is better used for earrings or other jewelry that will not receive the knocks that a ring or bracelet might.

Did you know that there are different lists of birthstones? There’s the traditional list we’re all familiar with, but there are lots of other variations, too. One list is a sun sign list:

Aries (3/21-4/20) bloodstone
Taurus (4/21-5/20) Sapphire
Gemini (5/21-6/20) Agate
Cancer (6/20-7/21) Emerald
Leo (7/21-8/20) Onyx
Virgo (8/21-9/20) Carnelian
Libra (9/21-10/20) Peridot
Scorpio (10/21-11/20) Aquamarine
(11/21-12/20) Topaz
Capricorn (12/21-1/20) Ruby
Aquarius (1/21-2/18) garnet
Pisces (2/19-3/20) Amethyst

You can find 3 different birthstone lists on my website at www.dianakirkpatrick.com/birthstones