Birthstone

It's August!!

I love August because it's my birthday month!!

I'll be 38 on the 17th of this month.  

Since I am a Leo, I like to celebrate for at least 2-3 weeks straight.

:)

That's just how I roll.

My birthstone is a Peridot.  

 I've never been too fond of my birthstone, but I've been getting more into crystals and stones, so I have gained a greater appreciation for this particular rock.  Peridot is an olive green gemstone commonly found in volcanic lava, as well as, meteorites.  It is a very rare and precious mineral.  Peridot is associated with the heart chakra.  It is a stone of compassion.  It is said that peridot clears the way for your heart to feel.  It also assists in creating prosperity in all areas of life and is excellent for understanding relationships with honesty and integrity.

Here are two images of pre-tumbled peridot:

And this is tumbled peridot:

Turns out peridot is pretty expensive.  After discovering where it is found, I can see why.  I went to my favorite local hippie store to see if I could find a nice peridot pendant to buy myself for my birthday.  They did have some pretty pieces, but not many pendants.  The ones they did have were waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my price range.  I decided to dig through their loose gemstones to see if I could find any peridot.  They did have some, but the pieces were itty bitty.  The little itty bitty booger sized peridot piece was $1.  

Dang.  

I looked for something larger that I could maybe make into a pendant myself, but the larger piece was still smaller than a dime and it was $3.50.  

Double dang.  

No matter.  

I threw it into my basket along with a few other booger sized gemstones and kept meandering around the store.  I ventured into their "bead cave" and found these cool, gold spiral things for jewelry making.  

Queue the light bulb!

  I could shove these little booger stones right into the spiral thingy and BAM~ I have a peridot pendant!  I bought a four pack and some little gold connector rings.  Once I got them home I popped the little boogers right into the pendant and it worked perfectly.  I picked up a cheap gold chain at Target and my mission was complete.  I used the other stones I bought to put in the extra spiral things, so I could change the pendant depending on my mood, outfit, or healing needs.  The entire thing cost me about $25.  

Here is how it looks:

(Peridot is the one on the chain)

The other stones I picked were turquoise (I just love turquoise!) and chrysoprase.  

Turquoise is said to blend the energies of Heaven and the Earth.  It is one of the oldest stones known and is used by shaman to heal the spirit, induce wisdom, trust, kindness, and protection.  

Chrysoprase is a joyful stone that works to heal personal problems and lift depression with a calming, healing energy.

I still have one more gold spiral thing.  I know exactly what I want to get to put in there.  I have been wanting to pick an oyster and get a pearl at the Redondo Pier forever.  I just never had enough to get it mounted on the overpriced jewelry they sell there.  Now I can get my pearl, take it home and pop it in my spare spiral thing and finally have the pearl necklace I've been longing for.

  

Pearls are said to be a symbol of integrity, purity, and grace.  I read that the pink pearls work especially well with the heart chakra and that divers wear them for protection against sharks.  I think with all the shark interaction I have surfing every day, I'm going to be hoping for pink!

I love my new necklace with interchanging pendants.  I think the real gift may have been the hunt and creative brainstorming session that made these pendants come about.  I think it's pretty clear my passion is not in buying things already made, but in making things with my own personal energy stamp.  

The gift of self-love and healing are the best gift you can give yourself.  It doesn't even need to be your birthday, but it certainly was a good excuse for me to spoil myself with my own love.

Happy Birthday to me!