Corbo Jewelers

Peridot is the modern August birthstone and the gem designated for the 16th wedding anniversary.  Peridot (pronounced pair-a-dot) is a transparent yellowish-green Magnesium/Iron Silicate. It is a gem variety of the mineral Chrysolite or Olivine and its chemical formula is given by: (Mg,Fe)2SiO4. Peridot ranges in color from light yellow-green to the intense bright green of new spring grass to olive. Because of the way peridot splits and bends the rays of light passing through it, it has a velvety appearance, a rich glow, and a slightly greasy luster. The purer green a peridot is the higher the value. Any tinges of brown or visible flaws greatly diminish the price. The best-colored peridot has an iron percentage of less than 15% and includes nickel and chromium as trace elements. It is not clear whether the word peridot comes from the Arabic word faridat, which means gem or if it is derived from the French word peritot which means unclear. The French were the first to call this...

Garnets as a group are relatively common in highly  metamorphosed  rocks and in some  igneous  formations. They form under the high temperatures and/or pressures that those types of rocks must endure. Garnets can be used by geologists as a gauge of how much temperature and pressure the rock has endured.  As a  gemstone ,  garnets possess high indices of refraction, are hard enough, have pretty colors, are wonderfully transparent, lack cleavage and are durable; thus making good candidates for gemstones. Garnets are greatly variable in colors and varieties,and many of these are both rare and beautiful, producing genuinely precious gemstones. Some garnets are truly unique in the mineral kingdom and have much to offer as both gemstones and mineral specimens. The gemstone Garnet is the official birthstone for January as adopted by the American National Association of Jewelers in 1912. It is also the stone for the Zodiac sign Aquarius. Garnet may be giv...