This year we are all united in hoping for a better future, and it's important that we hold onto this hope because it will help us make it through the rest of the restrictions and the changes to our lives that are still on their way.  There are many crystals and gems that represent hope and embody the wearer with hope and the ability to sustain it, and happily two of these are ideal for jewellery – peridot and opal.

 

Peridot has been associated with hope for millennia, with the Ancient Egyptians being one of the first civilisations to use it in this way.  They associated the stone with the Sun God Ra and the brightness of the stone was said to be channelling the sun in renewed hope.  The association has persisted and has even influenced some of the other associations that peridot has gathered over the years.  Peridot is also the August birthstone, a time of year when the hope of spring has flowered and is in abundance – the perfect analogy for this hopeful stone.

 

Our Vivid Green necklace and Orbit earrings are the simplest way to wear peridot, and this little flash of colour can make all the difference to an outfit with more muted colours.  These charming pieces are versatile and ideal for daily wear in any setting, so if you want to keep the stone of hope with you at all times then invest in the necklace and earrings today.  If you're a fan of more sparkly jewellery you will adore our Olive Green collection.  This three piece set with earrings, ring and necklace feature a beautifully cut peridot nestled in a mount of swirled sterling silver set with cubic zirconia.  These pieces really catch the light at all times of day (the Ancient Romans used to call peridot the “evening emerald” due to its brilliance in low light) and the slight floral inspiration makes this collection ideal for a feminine, pretty aesthetic.

 

If you're a little bit eccentric you will fall in love with our Quirky ring.  The sterling silver band splits into two to grasp an oval shaped peridot at the top of the ring.  This is a modern style which is so wearable that it is one of our most popular pieces; it shows the wearer's quirky, non-conforming side in a way that makes it suitable for office wear, brunch or even weddings and other dressy events.

 

Opal is associated with hope through the Ancient Greeks, who believed the stone imbued the wearer with the ability to see the future, and the inclusion of every colour of the rainbow means that the stone can be said to hold all the attributes of the other gems in a single source.  Many cultures hold opal as a stone of hope and of better things to come, and although there are some negative superstitions about opal it's such a beautiful gem that we feel a little spring of hope inside us when we look at it. 

 

Our opal Vita earrings and necklace are the most budget friendly ways to wear this stone, which is always cut and polished to a cabochon due to the way it is created – the layers in an opal make it unsuitable for faceting.  Our Opaltine and Spicy Opal pieces are a more showy way to wear the stone, and we definitely feel better and more hopeful when we're looking our best with these gems on.  Opal suits everyone because of the neutral base and shimmering colours you can see from different angles, so it's one to consider as a gift for someone who needs a boost.

 

There are lots of ways we can stay hopeful, including meditation, mindfulness and spending time with the people we love (at a safe distance of course), but the power of gemstones to make us feel good cannot be underestimated, whether that's because of the colour or your beliefs.