Birthstones: August - Peridot

The month of August claims Peridot as its birthstone.  Peridot is the name for gem quality Olivine, and it is a beautiful bottle green colour.  Olivine is quite a common mineral, which has been found over most of the world, and even in meteorites!

Known as the “evening emerald” Peridot is supposed to be at its most beautiful at night.

It is associated with peacefulness and happiness, and is said to calm the wearer.  It is also attributed as having the best healing properties of any gem I’ve come across, said to help with everything from asthma to quenching thirst!

In history the name for Peridot has changed a few times; it got mistaken for emeralds, referred to as “topaz” and “chrysolite”, so pinning down where it appears in old tales can be tricky!  It is thought that it may be one of the twelve stones in the Breastplate of Aaron, in Christian lore.

Peridot is said to be at its best and most powerful when set in gold; so why not try it out with some gold beads or wire? :)

Making a basic pendant cord

This is a really simple way to make a professional looking necklace cord to display your pendants on.

You will need:

Black cord  (waxed cotton)
2x Crimp ends
2x Jump Rings
Claw Clasp

Tools:

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Scissors
Super Glue

Step 1:  Cut your cord to the length you want your necklace to be. (In this tutorial I made one that was 16" long)

Step 2:  Add a dab of glue to the inside of each of the crimp ends, and then place the end of the cord inside.

Step 3:  Allow the glue to dry a moment - this makes it easier to close the crimp onto the cord.  Pick up the crimp and use the flat nose pliers to bend the crimp end shut around the cord.

Repeat for the other end of the cord.

(At this point, you may want to thread on your pendant, since some don't have loops big enough to get over the jump rings at the end of the necklace.  Alternatively, you could always add a pendant later using a jump ring to hang it from.)

Step 4:  Add a jump ring to one end, and a jump ring and a clasp to the other.

All done and ready to hang your pendant from!