Summer Peridot, Natural
Color, & What's New?
This month is the
August gemstone peridot, how to tell if colors are natural, and what's new. Scroll down, or click
one of the links below on the html version to go to a certain section. If you
have any suggestions for the future, please e-mail me at
suggestions@mrbead.com.
If you weren't mailed this newsletter enter your e-mail address
here to receive next month's newsletter
Peridot – the gemstone for August
Pearl & Peridot Necklace
Real Color?
Peridot – the cooling gemstone for August
Just the
name Peridot sounds summer cooling, and its vivid, shimmering aqua-green color is
the ideal gemstone to complement a light summertime outfit. Peridot goes
so well with any light color, blending subtly to add interest to a design. Peridot
(pronounced pair-a-doe) is the gem variety of olivine, a mineral formed under
intense heat. Perhaps named from the French word “Peridot” meaning unclear, due
to its inclusions and cloudy nature. Small crystals of peridot are often found
in rocks by volcanoes and in meteors. Because the iron which creates the color
is an integral part of its structure, its color is always green - ranging from
transparent lime to olive green. One of the few gemstones of only in one color.
Peridot has been mined as a gemstone for thousands of years, said to be the favorite gem of Cleopatra, and mentioned in the Bible. In ancient Egypt it was mined at night because legend tells that peridot was hard to see during the day, yet easily visible by lamplight. The Greeks and Romans called peridot “topazion” and “topazius” - the later named topaz, to end the confusion between the two. Peridot has also been confused with emerald and many jewelers refer to it as "evening emerald". Peridot was later used to decorate medieval churches, carried back to Europe by the Crusaders, like the huge stones of more than 200 carats in size at Cologne Cathedral.
The gemstone is actually known under three names: Peridot,
Chrysolith (derived from the Greek word “goldstone”) and Olivin, because Peridot
is the gemstone variety of the Olivin mineral. In the gemstone trade it is
generally called Peridot, a name derived from the Greek “peridona”, meaning
something like “giving plenty.
Peridot is recommended for insomnia, digestive problems and to stimulate the mind. Some say peridot has the power to drive away evil spirits, intensified when the stone is set in gold. And it’s also said to strengthen the power of any medicine drunk from peridot goblets. Peridot is for people with the star sign of Leo. top of page
Peridot & pearl so so well together - teardrops of the moon goddess! This necklace is to inspire what can be done using a combination of different stones. Blue pearls with vivid green peridot make a striking fresh combination to cool you from the summer heat. Clusters of pale-blue 7mm rice pearls are wrapped with 4mm peridot beads producing this 16" -18" long necklace with a lobster clasp. top of page
If you have been making jewelry for a while, you've probably wondered about color enhanced gemstones. What does it really mean? Have the stones been dyed, heat-treated, or irradiated? Are these treatments common? As a consumer, you should know the answers - and if you sell your own jewelry, you should definitely learn about these treatments so that you can inform your customers.
Color enhancement has existed for thousands of years. In ancient times it was common to submerge turquoise in animal or vegetable oil. This formed a luster that lasted a long time, but with oil stains appearing when worn. Today some stabilized turquoise is "color shot" or "color stabilized". Color stabilized infers that it is the natural color which is "stabilized." This is untrue, as color has been added. However, this is not so bad, as jewelry making is art and color enhancement improves the appearance.
Dyeing is one of the oldest enhancements. Ancient Romans knew how to dye agates, and today it is common practice to dye jade, pearls, and porous stones like chalcedony and opaque quartz. Natural chalcedony comes only in pale periwinkle gray. Blue topaz and garnet beads are dyed to make them appear more vibrant. Dyeing makes your beads look much more interesting and has few drawbacks. It’s so common, that even if a seller tells you the beads aren’t dyed, they properly are! The dye usually won’t come off, but it’s still best to rinse some stones before using them just in case. Color will fade if left in the sunlight too long – either dyed or natural stone. Some pearls are exposed to sunlight to bleach them a brilliant white. And almost all red coral these days, is white coral dyed red.
Heat-treatment is another technique that has been used for thousands of years. Carnelians are often heat treated to intensify the bright orange color, and most citrines sold today are actually heat-treated amethyst. Although you won't see much of these stones in bead form, sapphires and rubies in most fine jewelry today are heat-treated as well. Finally, irradiation is a more recently discovered way to alter colors of gemstone - commonly used to intensify blue topaz, and to create smoky quartz out of ice quartz. Like most things: the more you pay, the more natural the stone will be. to top
To see more What's New click here
To see our bead store at
MrBead click http://www.mrbead.com
Special $10 Offer !
Sample our beads with $10 discount off any order in our MrBead bead store, just
key in "peridot" at the checkout (without the inverted commas) and click "Redeem
Coupon". Cannot be used with any other coupon.
Act Now! As expires on 3rd August 2007
To return to the top click here
