Peridot (August) — The Modern Birthstone for the Eighth Month
Peridot (August) — The Modern Birthstone for the Eighth Month
The principal August birthstone in the AGTA and Jewelers of America standardised list, with spinel and sardonyx as recognised alternatives
Peridot is the primary modern birthstone for August in the standardised birthstone list maintained by the American Gem Trade Association and Jewelers of America. The list, last revised in 2016 with the addition of spinel as a co-birthstone for the same month, reflects a century of consolidation by the trade associations of what had previously been a confused and regionally varied tradition of birthstone assignments. Peridot's August attribution rests on its long jewellery history, its availability at moderate price across a wide quality range, and its single distinctive colour that does not compete with the colour palette of the surrounding months.
The standardised list
The American National Retail Jewelers Association first formalised an American birthstone list in 1912, and the modern AGTA / JA list descends from that compilation through periodic revisions. Peridot was the August stone in the original 1912 list and has retained the position through every subsequent revision. The 2016 revision added spinel as an alternative for August, recognising the rising visibility of fine spinel in the international coloured-stone market and the historical association of red spinel with ruby in royal collections. Sardonyx is a more traditional alternative that has been carried over from older lists; it is rarely promoted at retail today.
Why peridot
Peridot's claim on August has three principal supports. First, the stone has been used in jewellery without interruption since ancient Egypt — the Zabargad source in the Red Sea was producing peridot for the pharaohs, and the stone has appeared in European jewellery from the Roman period through the medieval and modern eras. Second, peridot is available at a range of prices and sizes that suits the gift-jewellery market, from accent stones in costume jewellery to substantial centre stones for fine pieces. Third, peridot's clean grass-green colour is distinctive and instantly identifiable, helping it function as a recognisable birthstone in a way that more colour-variable species could not.
In the trade
Birthstone jewellery is one of the more reliable annual cycles in retail jewellery, with August driving demand for peridot pieces in the August retail run-up. Production from the Apache San Carlos source — the Peridot Mesa — supplies the bulk of the commercial August birthstone market in North America at modest price points. Pakistani Sapat material occupies the upper end of the market for clients seeking larger sizes or richer colour, with prices that scale rapidly above five carats. Spinel as a co-birthstone has gradually built market share since 2016, with the colour range — red, pink, blue, lavender, grey — providing the variety that some clients want from a birthstone in a way that single-colour peridot cannot.