Peridot is August's birthstone and is a distinct greenish-yellow to olive or olive-brown color which intensifies due to the amount of iron content. The gem is found mainly in Afghanistan, the United States, Australia, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and Pakistan, and it is even found in meteorites occasionally! It is a variety of the mineral olivine and rates a 6.5-7 on the Moh's Scale of Hardness. Peridot also used to be known as the "gem of the sun" during ancient Egyptian times.
See Also: Birthstones, Garnet, Diamond, Moh's Scale of Hardness