Beautiful natural green Peridot(1.20ct, VS, Pakistan ) hand set in a classic cushion sterling silver ring. August's birthstone, peridot is a relatively inexpensive, beautiful gem with a pedigree dating back as far as early Egyptians. Among its accolades, peridot can count being a favorite among royals and clergy, used to adorn everything from a queen's crown to a knight's sword. Peridot jewels were among Cleopatra's beloved treasures, though many were found to be emeralds once the science of gemology advanced beyond classifying gemstones in ways other than just by color.The name "peridot" is likely derived from the Arabic word faridat, meaning "gem," or the Greek word peridona, which roughly translates as "to give richness." Peridot has three other names: It's known as chrysolite in Europe, derived from the Greek word meaning "gold stone"; olivine, which is its mineral group name; and Hawaiite, which refers only to peridot found in Hawaii. Ancient Romans called peridot the "evening emerald" because it continued glowing vibrantly at night, even in dim candlelight.The discovery of peridot, like many mainstream gemstones, was likely thousands of years ago. More recent discoveries--at least those since such records were kept--include a deposit found on a small volcanic island in the Red Sea near the Egyptian coast. Those deposits were rediscovered around 1900 and were soon mined out.Peridot had an uneventful history after that until, in the mid 1990s, a very plentiful, high-quality new peridot deposit was found in the mountains of Pakistan. Peridot once again became a darling of the gem community when those stones--some of the finest ever discovered--hit the market as Kashmir peridot.Size 5.75 can be resized