August is for Peridot: The Best in Beautiful Birthstone Jewelry for the Month of August
The bright-green semi-precious stone has a fascinating charm that can read as bold, bohemian, deliberate, or all three
Green like bright late-spring leaves and Granny Smith apples, peridot, the August birthstone, announces itself with personality and particularity on entering the room. It is a choice. Wearers with an August birthday will find it especially effective in cocktail rings and other statement pieces, but it can also be used with advantage in more delicate compositions. The unusual color differentiates itself from simpler choices. Surprisingly, peridot will often agree to play nicely with contrasting shades that sound like a clash. Preppies (see Lilly Pulitzer) have long known that pink and green will combine in the right environment, and peridot likewise knows that pink sapphire, amethyst, and occasional rose gold are its its friends.
Peridot has been used in jewelry for over 4000 years, beginning with the ancient Egyptians, who called it “the gem of the sun.” One slight weakness is that, at a 6.5 to 7 on the Moh’s scale, peridot more scratchable that diamond, ruby, or sapphire, and should thus be worn with care when used in a bracelet, ring, or anything likely to encounter friction. Among its advantages: as a semiprecious stone, it can be sized for impact in a bold necklace, for example. Here are some of our favorite pieces featuring the August birthstone.
1. Peridot Button Earrings | Margot McKinney
There are flecks of blue and different shades of green that keep the color extending, but they are in service of the 13.58 centerpiece peridots in these showstoppers from Margot McKinney.
2. Bezel Set Tennis Necklace | David Yurman
David Yurman’s apple-green update to the classic tennis necklace is available in 15, 17, or 19 inches. The discreet clasp allows for an uninterrupted line of color.
3. Sleeve Cuff, Peridot, Amethyst | David Webb
Imposing is the adjective here for this 18k gold cuff bracelet with its cushion-cut peridot. It may be best worn as the lone accessory, perhaps firmly placed over a severe black sleeve, and makes no apologies for drama. David Webb fans like Diana Vreeland, Barbra Streisand, and Beyoncé would understand.
4. Macri Color Yellow and White Gold Ring with Peridot | Buccellati
Perhaps Edwardian or Imperial Russian in spirit, this 18k yellow gold ring features the unmistakably Buccellati “rigato” engraving and a 2.45 carat peridot.
4. Peridot & Diamond Drops | Material Good
New York-based jewelry line Material Good uses 16.65 carats of emerald-cut peridots, beautifully set highlighted by trapezoidal diamonds, in these one-of-a-kind drops.
5. Panthère de Cartier High Jewelry Bracelet | Cartier
Cartier green isn’t just for emeralds. Here, the signature diamond pavé panthers leal around a stunning 79.89-carat peridot against an onyx and diamond background cuff.
6. Fleurs d’Hawaï Earrings | Van Cleef and Arpels
The vivid, springlike feeling of the pear-cut peridots in these playfully elegant Van Cleef and Arpels clips has a weightlessly pretty asymmetry to it. Van Cleef also makes a matching ring and pendant necklace, too.
7. Couleur Vivante Stud Earrings – White Gold with Peridot | Prada Fine Jewelry
From the ‘90s on, Prada had never feared unusual shades of green. The acid green hearkens back to some of Miuccia’s most memorable collections, the unusual triangle cut makes it talk, and the unconventional amethyst contrast makes it pop.
8. Beirut Brecelet, Peridot and Diamond | Selim Mouzzanner
This bracelet feels antique while remaining contemporary. The Selim Mouzzanner peridot Beirut Bracelet is a slim pink gold bangle with traces of Ottoman motifs in its halo setting.
9. Three Stone Earclips in Peridot | Verdura
The design hearkens back to midcentury pieces that were created with the intent of becoming instant heirlooms. For nearly a century, Verdura has intimately understood how to let the color of the stones do the talking. Babe Paley might have appreciated these for a late-summer cocktail party.
10. Prism Ring| Pomellato
New from the Pomellato Stile Libero High Jewelry Collection, the Prism Ring is exclusive to private clients and has five diamond-embellished peridots in a glowing, continuous line.