Peridot Rings buying tips
by Ashutosh Roy
Peridot, the pseudo emerald gemstone, is the birthstone of August and more popularly known as the summer stone. The most important factor is that all its varieties conform to only one colour, Green, the colour variation starts from yellowish green and ends in greenish yellow.
(images: minealminers.com)
Everybody cannot be lucky enough like Elizabeth Taylor to murmur, “The first thing I saw was an engagement ring”. The romantic feeling of offering a gorgeous ring to hypnotize your dream girl starts from a very tender age.
Peridot, the pseudo emerald gemstone, is the birthstone of August and more popularly known as the summer stone. The most important factor is that all its varieties conform to only one colour, Green, the colour variation starts from yellowish green and ends in greenish yellow. The shining of the Green colour becomes more dazzling at night when the Sun goes behind and the lamplight takes the charge. The brilliant green of Peridot has been giving sparkling effect to the various parts of the body like fingers, earlobes, throat etc. since the Egyptian culture. The gemologists find the resurgence of Peridot with the discovery of Kashmir Peridot. The main advantage of Peridot is that it can be shaped to fit your exact requirement and the inherent toughness does not let it to be too fragile.
Peridot are available mostly in Globe, Arizona, Burma and China and most recently in the Kashmir valley, which has been highly popular all over the world. It is also a very old yet the most modern gemstone. It started with the people of the oldest culture of Egypt and Greece. Like every gemstone Peridot has also been rated very high for its healing power. There was a time when people not only restrained themselves from wearing Peridot but also used to swallow as a medicine of Asthma. Peridot is supposed to bring success and good luck for you.
Peridot, combined with diamond in the original Gold base give you a gorgeous look. Rings are available, when the diamonds are embedded on the two sides of the rings, slowly converging to a mounted Peridot. The yellow colour of the Gold, the sparkling whitish diamond and the glitter of Peridot simply becomes irresistible. The varieties have been given some popular names like clover design, Diamond Bezel Peridot, Pave Diamond Peridot etc depending upon the various settings as imagined by the designers. Sometimes even more than one peridots are placed in the same ring in the form of bezel settings where each of the peridot is surrounded by a set of tiny diamonds using claw settings. But you can easily imagine that the budget will pinch you too much. In reality the Green peridot surrounded by white diamond becomes stunning.
The artist imagines and the designer translates his dream in black and white, the craftsman implements them. As nobody can control over the imaginative power of the artist, a real creative variety comes up just by using the method of permutations and combinations. So what is so surprising if you find a ring where the stunning Amethyst is placed in the center with two Peridots sitting on the either sides. And that too if made in a quality yellow gold, then the colour of Green, Yellow and transparent purple will sparkle under the lamp. When the stunning Peridot is placed in the center point of a peacock feather design in combination with different coloured enamels, it reveals the imagination and designing power of the ancient people. At times Peridots are even combined with Blue Topaz to reveal the truth that variety is the spice of life. But if all of the above just go beyond your budget, don’t get disheartened! The Sterling silver and Gold mix also gives you the stunning effect to win the heart of your fiancé.
Now, what to check while buying? Unlike most common light and fragile gemstones, the Peridots are hard (6.5 to 7 in mohs scale) enough which requires hardly any treatment of adding extra toughness. A simple waxing is adequate for polishing. The same good old methodology is applicable in case of buying a Peridot ring. Check the settings. If it is a prong setting, you need to ensure that the claws should reach adequately inside the stone, not merely the edges to hold the peridot or other gemstones properly. If you also want the effect of the gemstone then ensure that the claws are small enough to allow the gemstone to touch your skin directly. In case of Bezel Settings, check the evenness of the lip of the Bezel or Flush. Any hitches or distortion ought to be avoided. The peridot fitted inside the Bezel should not wobble. If it is a Pave kind of setting, then ensure the look and feel. And finally you need to check, whether peridot has got evenly distributed colour, which basically depends on the cutting process. The light green colour without any overtone are most attractive when fitted in a golden ring. But buying is a one-time process and maintenance is a life long process. So, if you want to increase the ring’s lifeline with a prolonged stunning nature, then clean it with light warm water. Use light soap and just rinse which should not stain the gemstone. Try to hide it from the direct heat to get rid of unwanted scratches in your hard earned ring. Use velvet or fabric lined jewelry box to keep it safe.
Where to buy? Peridot rings are available in most of the popular gem houses like Walsh Brothers, eBay, Nex Tag, Apple of Gold Jewelry, Jewel Warehouse, Jewelry Impression. The budget starts from $50 and upto the capacity of your pocket.
Why to wait for the sixteenth anniversary? If you want to win the heart of your beloved one, then perhaps the brilliant splash of colour of peridot ring will allow you to say ” I came, I saw, I conquered” like Julius Caesar. But be cautious! The Peridot may bring more power, success and better luck for the owner, just to supersede you in every walk of life.