August Birthstone Color and Flower & more August Birthday Symbols

The August Birthstone is Peridot

The first official birthstone for August is the lovely yellow-green gemstone Peridot and so the August birthstone color is light green.

The alternative birthstone for August is Sardonyx, and the recently added second official birthstone is Spinel.

Peridot is one of the Zodiac birthstones for Virgo (Aug 23 – Sep 23) and Sardonyx is one of the Zodiac birthstones for Leo (Jul 23 – Aug 22).

Other birthday symbols include the birth flowers for August which are the Gladiolus and Poppy.

The Peridot gemstone is associated with growth, prosperity, love, loyalty and protection.

The origin of ‘peridot’ is not clear but may come from the Arabic word “faridat”, which means “gem.”

Besides being a meaningful August birthday gift, Peridot jewelry is also given to celebrate a 16th wedding anniversary.

Watch the short, informative videos below highlighting the history, symbolism and properties of Peridot and Sardonyx.

August Birthstone Color: Light Green

The August birthstone color of light green comes from the August gemstone Peridot, also known as Olivine, due to its primary color of olive green.

Peridot is one of the few gemstones that only occur in one color – ranging from shades of brownish to yellowish green.

Peridot is the gem quality of the mineral forsterite and the green shade is determined by its iron composition.

Some of the best specimens were found in St John's Island off Egypt where Peridot was mined for over 3500 years.

Faceted Peridot Crystal — Faceted Peridot Gem

Other locations where Peridot is found include Australia, Brazil, China, Hawaai, Myanmar (Burma), Norway, Pakistan, South Africa and the USA.

Discover more about peridot gemstones or the history of peridot.

Second Official August Birthstone: Spinel

The second official birthstone for August, Spinel, was added to the birthstone list in 2016.

Spinel colors are mostly in the orange to red and pink range, but it also occurs in shades of purple, blue and green.

Red Spinel and Ruby are both colored by chromium and are very similar in many respects, thus can be easily confused.

The Black Prince's Ruby in the British Crown Jewels is in fact made up of a very small Ruby embedded in mostly red Spinel.

Synthetic Spinal has been manufactured since 1910 and can be used to produce imitation rubies and diamonds.

The main countries where Spinel is found are India, Madagascar, Mayanmar (Burma) and Sri Lanka.

Discover more about the spinel gemstone or the history of spinel.

Alternative August Birthstone: Sardonyx

The alternative birthstone for August, Sardonyx, is a variety of Agate with reddish brown bands (sard) alternating with black (onyx) or white bands.

Due to the layered structure Sardonyx is suitable for carving cameos and intaglios, which were often fashioned into wax seals in Roman times.

The Sardonyx Mountains of India are one of the main sources and other countries include Australia, Brazil, China, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Ural Mountains of Russia, Uruguay and the USA.

Discover more about the onyx gemstone or the history of onyx.

August Zodiac Signs and Crystals

The two August birthday zodiac signs are Leo and Virgo. The Leo sign is from July 23 to August 22 and the Virgo sign from August 23 to September 23. (The start and end dates can vary by a day or so each year).

New Moon Beginnings offer Zodiac crystal sets (rough or tumbled) to enhance each sign's positive qualities and to calm negative energies.

Pyrite, sunstone, carnelian, tigers eye and garnet are included in the Leo crystal set to enhance their ambitious and proud nature. Discover how these stones amplify the qualities of the Leo sign.

In the Virgo crystal set - amazonite, moss agate, red jasper, amethyst and jade compliment the systematic and logical Virgos. Find out how these stones can help strengthen the Virgo sign characteristics.

Leo Crystals (Jul 23 - Aug 22) Leo Jewelry

Virgo Crystals (Aug 23 - Sep 23) Virgo Jewelry