Peridot Engagement Rings: August’s Green Gem
Happy August, or true-as-salt-summer. This month our bare legs are sticking to stools as we gather to celebrate our dearests’ birthdays who lay claim to the vibrant, lime-colored birthstone, Peridot.
Peridot engagement rings are a stunning choice for those who want something unique and vibrant. With their brilliant green hue, peridots symbolize love, prosperity, and harmony, making them a meaningful alternative to traditional diamonds. Perfect for anyone who loves a pop of color, these rings offer a fresh and modern twist on classic engagement jewelry, embodying both elegance and individuality.
Where does Peridot come from?
Peridot is formed from the mineral olivine in extreme conditions deep in the Earth’s mantle. The peridot mined on Earth’s surface has been pre-excavated by volcanic eruptions, blasting it from the mantle to the surface for an excited unsuspecting human to uncover. Perhaps my favorite fact about Peridot is that specimens of the green gem have been found on meteorites that crashed on Earth from space, and actually floating IN THE solar system – making it not only of this Earth, but extraterrestrial too. If you’re familiar with the verdant, other-worldly green hue of Peridot, it’s not hard to imagine a magical story of where it comes from and how it may be used in a galaxy far far away.
Creating A Peridot Engagement Ring
Here on Earth, Peridot has been used in jewelry since ancient times, and was even revered in Ancient Egypt as the “gem of the sun.” It makes for an eye-grabbing centerpiece in high jewelry, however when it comes to rings and everyday wear, it’s best as an accent stone instead of a center stone, due its soft nature. Since we work primarily with humans who plan to wear their rings every day, we don’t recommend peridot as a center stone* in an engagement ring, because it is soft and over time will wear down more than a diamond or a sapphire.
*Peridot is green unlike any other, so if you love it, follow your heart and wear it as your center stone, but take heed – wear your Peridot with care and maintain your jewelry with regular cleanings and check-ups. You may need to replace your peridot center stone during the lifetime of your piece.
If you just love green, green sapphires are a much more durable stone for engagement rings. The April engagement ring below was created using an olive green sapphire sourced from Montana, USA.
What if you or your love is born in August and you don’t love Peridot, but you love the reference? We see this a lot! In this case, we add a softer green sapphire in a green color that our client likes as a symbolic representation of Peridot. The Leah was created with a soft minty, green sapphire for our client who preferred seafoam green to the vibrant green of peridot.
Practical Uses for Peridot in Everyday Jewelry
- Use it as a green accent stone tucked in a cluster where it won’t be the first thing you knock on your car door, or kitchen table while your jewelry lives your life with you.
The Dimple ring, shown below, was a wedding ring upgrade with an expressive colorful halo representing each of her children’s birthstones. We tucked a peridot to represent her child born in August. The peridot brought a welcomed pop of life-force green to the mix!
- Hide it in the interior of your band where it will touch your skin and be with you always, a reminder of your roots or your loved one’s birthday, just for you to know.
- Tuck one peridot among diamonds on your ring where it will be a cool surprise, without distracting from your design.
In the case of The Kellie ring, her love’s birthstone was an emerald but she didn’t love the emerald green featured in her design, so we tucked it into her diamond band on the side.
Upgrade your wedding ring with family birthstones
After many years of marriage and kids, and grandkids in the mix, it’s common that we incorporate birthstones into our wedding ring upgrades.
The Jennifer ring below was created to represent a “letting go” of a traditional past and embracing a wiser, more artistic self. We incorporated peridot, amethyst, topaz and ruby among her accent stones to represent her four children.
DESIGNER’S TIP: make sure all the kids have an equal representation on the ring to avoid hurt feelings. 🙂
Create a Pendant or Earrings using Peridot
Peridot is soft and not ideal for everyday wear in rings, so placing it in a pendant or earrings that typically get lighter wear, is a great solution.
The Logan Pendant below featured topaz, aquamarine, and emeralds for her family’s birth months – all three are soft stones so we created a “family tree” so she could have the real stones and wear them too.
Ready to design your custom peridot gemstone ring? Schedule a meeting with the Abby Sparks Jewelry design team and let us help make your dream piece a reality!
Comments