August Flower & Birthstone

If you are born in the hot summer days of August, your birthstone is peridot, and your birth flower is gladiolus.

August falls squarely in the "dog days" of summer, so nicknamed by the ancient Romans because of the rise of Sirius, the "dog star." The month itself was also named by the Romans, honoring the first emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus.

August's birthstone is peridot and its birth flower is gladiolus.

History: Birthstones

Gemologists date the sorting of gems into a symbolic set of 12 to biblical times.

According to Oliver Cummings Farrington's definitive 1903 book Gems and Gem Minerals, the earliest grouping of precious stones into a set of 12 occurred in the Bible's Book of Exodus. It is unclear, Farrington asserts, when these traditional listings of symbolic gems came to be associated with birth months or astrological signs, but the custom was in place by the 1600s in Europe. The first version of a modern list first appeared in a pamphlet published by Tiffany & Co. in 1870.

History: Flowers

The tradition of assigning symbolic meaning to flowers probably dates to the Victorian era.

The designation of birth-month flowers is a more recent development. It probably originated in the Victorian convention known charmingly as "the language of flowers," in which specific types of flowers carry specific symbolic meaning. Among the earliest expressions of this notion occurs in the 1847 book The Flowers Personified by N. Cleaveland, translating J.J. Grandville's French original. On the symbolic association of personal meaning with flowers, Cleaveland muses, "One should have his flower on earth as he has his star in the skies. Trust none who deride this superstition."

Birthstone: Peridot

Pale green peridot is August's birthstone.

August's birthstone is peridot, a light-green gem popular in ancient Egypt and today mined all over the world. According to the Jewelers of America organization, it forms in volcanoes or, occasionally, meteorites. The color green is generally associated with healing and vitality, and peridot shares in this association. Specifically, some people believe that peridot protects its bearer from darkness and lends a clear spiritual "sight."

Birth Flower: Gladiolus

The summer-blooming gladiolus is August's birth flower.

The birth month flower for August is the showy, summer-blooming gladiolus. Striking, strongly colored flowers grow on tall spikes in nearly every color except "clear, true blue," according to the University of Minnesota's Extension Service. Commonly grown for cut flowers, "glads"---as they are nicknamed---require full sun. The online Birth Flower guide suggests that they symbolize remembrance.

Warning

Care for gladioli as you would any cut flowers, but give your peridots extra care.

While gladioli are popular cut flowers and do not require special care, peridot, on the other hand, requires some particular attention. The Jewelers of America website warns against steam cleaners or ultrasonic cleaning machines on this gem. Further, temperature changes can change peridot's color, so you should protect such jewelry from sudden increases or drops in temperature and from extremes of heat and cold.

References

• "Gems and Gem Minerals"; Oliver Cummings Farrington; 1903
• "The Flowers Personified"; N. Cleaveland; 1847
• Jewelers of America: Gemstone Leaflets
• Designer Celtic Jewelry by Reflective Images: The Myth and Lore of August's Birthstone, Peridot
• University of Minnesota Extension Service Yard & Garden Brief: Gladiolus

Resources

• USDA Plants Profile for Gladiolus