Prestige Promenade pearls and sweets
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1400329
57 www.thejewelrybook.com August August is another lucky month with two fabulous birthstones, peridot and spinel. Spinel has seen a massive rise in popularity in the last decade and due to this was added as a birthstone for the month of August in 2016. Spinel has been called the Great Imposter and is dubbed as histories most underappreciated gem. This is because spinel was historically mistaken for Ruby. In fact, the infamous Black Prince Ruby in the Imperial State crown of England is actually a spinel. It wasn't until 1783 when a French crystallographer determined spinel was a unique mineral. The name spinel is derived from the Latin word spina meaning thorn, this is in reference to its pointed octahedron crystal habit. This was a key factor in differentiating it from Ruby as the two have very different crystal structures. In Burma, a legendary source the gem, spinel crystals are so perfectly formed they are called 'Nat Thwe' or polished by the spirits. Spinel has amazing optical properties that enable you to see it's color from across a room and is loved by true gem connoisseurs. It is exciting to see it enter the world stage and join Peridot in the month of August. Have you ever heard an August baby complain about peridot? It constantly happened when I worked retail and I think it is only because they don't know how awesome peridot is. Peridot is derived from the Arabic word faridat which means gem. Just like spinel, peridot has been known to impersonate other gemstones like emerald and topaz. It is even believed that some of Cleopatra's famous Emeralds were actually Peridot. But unlike spinel, peridot is a historically known gemstone. There is evidence the Egyptians, who believed peridot to be a gem of the sun, mined it as early as 1500 BCE. It was very popular in medieval Europe to protect against night terrors. It was also believed to be a gem that brought the wearer good luck, peace and success, but only when strung on the hair of a donkey and worn on the left arm. There are several peridot sand beaches in Hawaii because peridot is brought to the earth's surface by volcanic eruptions. The coolest thing by far is that peridot has been found in rocks from Mars, the Moon and in dust around new stars. It has even been found in meteorites, which makes peridot an out of this world gemstone. Parlé Ring Spinel