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August
Birthstone: 16th Anniversary Stone
Peridot is
the best known gem variety of the mineral olivine. It ranges in color
from yellowish green to deep olive green.
As a prized
gemstone of ancient civilizations, peridot was ascribed many powers
including warding off evil spirits and medical uses such as a
prescription for asthma and an antidote for thirst from fever.
Historians believe that some of the "emeralds" worn by
Cleopatra were really peridot.
WORLD
SOURCES: Brazil, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Namibia,
Afghanistan, Zambia, and the United States. |
