August Birthstone is one of the 3 signs that are represented by 3 birthstones. June and December are the other 2. I must say that the 3 birthstones of August are very earthy, very organic: green, brown, red.
The Red Spinel: the color of fire and blood representing energy, power, passion, desire, and love. The Brown Sardonyx: the color of earth, wood, stone, representing reliability, elegance, stability, warmth, and honesty, and The Green Peridot: the color of life, renewal, nature, with meanings of growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. August is the month of the Lion. The element of August Birthstone is: The Fire and the ruling planet is: The Sun.
“Jewelry needs to fulfill the function for which it came into being. The only way that a Jewelry Designer will see its art in LIFE is with the eyes, the mind, and the heart of the Spectator.
The viewer in the last stroke in any jewelry piece”.
– Ines Arenas Jewelry Gallery
August Birthstone with all its information, symbols, and stones gives us a feeling of wildness, uncontrollable energy, a very organic feeling. The lion is the leader, the noble, the protective, the graceful; the king the majestic and the brave; the ones with noble hearts that when they die, they never truly are gone.
Characteristics that belong to the Gods, or the best ones? In Roma B.C, the stone sardonyx was engraved with the faces of Hercules and Mars granting to the soldier\’s courage, victory, and protection on the battlefield. Or maybe these are just very human qualities that in this month remind us that a lion sleeps in the heart of every man and every woman.
Beautiful stones for this month with so much meaning. I wish a very happy birthday to the ones born in the month of the Lion the month of the Sun, the month of the King!!
Best Option For August Birthstone
August Birthstone Spinel: is #8 on Mohs scale, good toughness. The Sources are Cambodia, Myanmar(Burma), Srilanka, Tanzania, Thailand. Myanmar is known for fine-quality pink and red spinels. Spinel’s color range includes violet, blue, orange, red, pink, and purple. Blue spinels are often grayish and subdued, but the best is a deep rich color. The reds can rival fine ruby. The vivid orange to orange-red stones merits their name—flame spinel. Spinel is a hard, tough stone that’s suitable for daily wear in any type of jewelry.
August Birthstone Peridot: is # 6.5 to 7 on Mohs scale, fair to good in toughness. Sources are Myanmar, Pakistan, United States.
August Birthstone Sardonyx: is # 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale and good in toughness. Sources are Brazil, Madagascar, United States, and Uraguay. Sardonyx is a Chalcedony variety characterized by straight, parallel bands of different colors. Sardonyx is similar to black onyx, known as red onyx to some people. Sardonyx’s colors range from dark brown to brownish orange or brownish-red alternate with either white or black.
How To Choose the Best August Birthstone?
August Birthstone Peridot:
Peridot is quite an affordable gemstone, you can often purchase a peridot jewelry piece for significantly less than jewelry featuring rubies, sapphires, or diamonds.
Authentic and good quality peridot can be identified:
• By performing an eye test: observe the peridot’s color. The real peridot will have a pure green color with tints of either yellow or brown. If you detect other colors in the stone, it may be an imitation.
• By checking for double refraction: peridot is a stone that has a very high double refraction, meaning you’ll be able to see two of each pavilion facet when you examine the gem closely. To check if peridot is real, hold it against light, if there’s no double refraction, it might be fake.
• By checking for imperfections: Period scores 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale, meaning it’s possible to scratch a peridot gemstone. Check the surface of the gemstone for cracks, if it looks perfect, it’s unlikely to be real.
Also, you can look inside the gemstone for inclusions. Natural peridots will almost always display some inclusions when they’re examined under a magnification glass. If you see bubbles in the gemstone, it’s likely fake peridot made from glass.
Check its color under different lighting. Peridot is a unique gemstone because real peridot will stay the same color when it’s exposed to natural or artificial light, while a fake may show a different color.
August Birthstone Spinel:
Color is the most important factor in Spinel. Spinel is an allochromatic gemstone which means that the color in it is caused by trace impurities. Spinel in its pure chemical composition is colorless, however, this is very rarely found in nature. The most common trace elements that give spinel its colors are chromium, cobalt, and iron. Chromium causes red and cobalt(with iron) causes blue.
Some colors are much are rarer and have a higher price. Spinels come in a variety of colors except for pure green and yellow. The most important spinel color is vivid red which resembles the same pigeon blood red of Burmese ruby. Cornflower blue follows next is equally insufficient.
Spinels in the brightly colored pinks(Jedi, Hot Pink), purples (Lavender, Lilac), orange, and greys are very desirable and popular colors.
As in many other stones, Saturation and Tone play a significant role in this type of stone.
• Saturation refers to the amount of color that’s in a gemstone.
• Tone indicates the lightness (Light, Medium, Deep) of a stone.
As a general rule and popular rule, dark-toned spinels are more common and considered less in value.
It’s important to understand the saturation and the tone of a spinel because it can affect the value greatly. A Red Spine that is well saturated in color but has a dark tone is less expensive than the same saturated red stone but is medium tone. A Pink Spinel can also have a different value to the more saturated reds.
• Clarity: natural gemstones are susceptible to inclusions including Spinel. Spinel that is free of inclusion to the naked eye is worth more than ones with visible inclusion. The value decreases with the number of inclusions that are present within the stone.
• Carat: Faceted spinels can be found in large sizes upwards of 100 carats but are extremely rare. Any spinel above 5 carats is rare, especially in the Red and bright Pinks. Sizes up to 2 carats are common and readily available in any color. Above 3 carats spinels are becoming less common and prices can increase dramatically. Fancy-colored spinels up to 10 carats can be found without too much difficulty.
• Cut: Spinel is usually cut to a shape that retains weight and minimizes waste. The cut on the spinel is important to determine the overall value of the stone because some spinels are cut to maximize the weight retention without any consideration for the brilliance of the gem.
The most important and valuable Spinel comes from Burmese (because of its Vivid Red)., Sri Lanka (because it’s “Colbaltain Spinels” with a hint of zinc, and Vietnam (because of the cornflower blue).
Many Spinels on the market are free from any form of treatment or enhancements. Heat treatment is possible but the slight improvement in the color of Spinel with this treatment does not warrant the cost of the treatment. Hence, most spinels in the market are unheated.
August Birthstone Sardonyx:
Readily available and relatively inexpensive, sardonyx makes an affordable addition to anyone’s collection.
The quality factors of sardonyx are not as clearly defined as other gemstones like diamonds, but generally, the 4Cs still apply color, cut, clarity, and carat weight. The most attractive sardonyx shows high contrast between reddish layers of Sard Stone and white bands of onyx. It may be translucent or opaque, seldom showing flaws or fractures.
Sardonyx is widely available and moderately priced in sizes up to 10 carats. The most common cut is cabochon, though it is popularly carved into cameos, and brooches to emphasize the contrast between layers, where the beauty of the Sardonyx resides.
How to Take Care of Your August Birthstone Jewelry?
It’s always safe to clean Spinel, Peridot, and Sardonyx with warm soapy water and gentle dish detergent. Use a soft brush to clean around the setting and restore the gem’s luster.
Peridot Jewelry should never be subjected to ultrasonic or steam cleaning, as these methods can easily damage the gemstone.
We recommend storage your Sardonyx jewelry separated from other stones or other materials because can still be scratched or damaged by gemstones with a higher hardness.