The Gemstone Of August - Peridot
By Martin Mallett
The birthstone of august is Peridot whose meaning comes from the Arabic word “faridat” which means gem. Peridot is commonly referred to as the evening emerald because when you put it under artificial light it has a green glow. Peridot is also given as the 16th anniversary gemstone.
Ancient Greek and Roman jewelry was often heavy in peridot and has been admired all the way back to 1500 BC
Disjointed
<p><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rob.ewaschuk/SanFranscisco"><img class="left"
src="/images/website/sf-trip-200811.jpg"></a>It's weird to be back: it's with a definite sense of disjointedness that I
flip my Macbook's timezone back to the right coast, and close the essential Firefox tabs that I've had open for two
weeks — the shuttle schedule, Google Maps of the <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=mission district%2C
sf">Mission District</a>, Muni and BART info, and various other journeys I needed to make. The trip was excellent in so
many ways — finding old friendships, making some awesome new ones, my first opera and trying out yoga, and
regrounding myself in a company that's doubled in size since my last trip to HQ and finding myself warmly re-accepted
back into the fold.
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<p>
But it was so soon after I'd gotten to NYC (which in turn was after an unsettled time in Ottawa)
that I return with this sense that my apartment is actually just another couch to crash on (minus the couch — need
to buy one of those soon!). I decided to put together my kitchen table properly as soon as I got home, and tidy up a
bit to combat this sense of placelessness, which is good — now I have somewhere to sit and type! An upcoming
visit or two from friends should help build on this — better get that couch.
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<p><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rob.ewaschuk/ThanksgivingDayInTheBigApple#"><img class="right"
src="/images/website/macys-parade.jpg"></a>One of the things I liked about SF was how I didn't really worry as I walked
around random streets, so tonight I walked home from my sister's (the route had somehow entered my brain as sketchy) for
the first time, and it was totally sane. I don't know what was blocking that before — people here talk about crime a
lot more than I'm used to, I guess.
</p></p>
<p>
It's also <i>good</i> to be back. My oldest sister and her three wee ones are down from Nova Scotia, though the wee ones are
hardly wee, plus of course J, D & j are still here. This is the third (fourth?!) time I've seen the Nova Scotia
contingent this year, which is really great. Today we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was kinda cool
but generally punctuated by long periods where we couldn't see anything, as <a
href="http://picasaweb.google.com/rob.ewaschuk/ArrivalInNYC#5263887925908644674">parades in Manhattan</a> seem to be.
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<p>
Now it's time to settle in, and give this damn sleepless city a run for its money.
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when the Egyptians first began mining it. Egyptians referred to the stone as the “gem of the sun” and even believed it had the ability to decrease anxiety, enhance verbal communication, and help in the success of marriages.
The transparent colors in peridot come in an array of greens ranging from a light yellowish green to a deep olive color. The truer the green hue is of the peridot the most valuable it is going to be. If there is even a slight color of brown in your peridot it seriously lowers the value as well as any evident flaws.
You are able to find peridot crystals in the black sands of Hawaii where this certain gemstone is somewhat abundant. You are able to find peridot here in large sizes. The Hawaiians think that peridot is the tears of Pele, their volcano deity.
While peridot is most abundant in Hawaii you can also find it as far away as Burma, Norway, Brazil, Australia, the Congo, and even Arizona. Whereever it is found it is an amazing gem stone.
Peridot is said to have helped dreams become reality and has been given the emblem of fame, might, and energy. Peridot is found in Europe in medieval churches, heavily treasures counting the Cologne Cathedral.
It is known that Egyptian priests drank from cups made of peridot with the faith that it would draw them closer to Isis, the goddess of nature. | 
