August more generously than the other months permits an alternate birthstone. This is the peridot, an olive green stone so radiant that it sends back flashes even in very dim light. It has therefore been linked with the sun, whose bright rays it ensnares to hold against future darkness. The peridot was a frequent stone in Egyptian jewels. From that time, it has been used to protect the wearer from the dangers that lurk in darkness, though in the fifteenth century it was maintained that the peridot was effective only if set in purest gold; this combination made it a perfect night talisman. The stone was a favorite for earrings, as its power over light was transferred to sound, to make even the lightest sound quite audible. It also helped lighten the burden of neuralgic pains. For warding off evil spirits, however, it was worn only beaded and strung. Worn by a man, the peridot ensured his generosity, according to countless wives who have bestowed peridot rings upon their husbands. One of the most beautiful of all peridots is high-set in the Cathedral of Cologne. Mysteriously it shines forth in the darkness of the dome, giving a lasting memory and quiet reflections to all who have seen it. Those born in August may be happy with sardonyx or peridot. Long the rows of ripened grain Along the dusty winding lane; Do not walk alone. Take the moonlit lovers’ path Hand in hand; to turn Lob’s wrath Sardonyx is the stone. _September: Sapphire_ A maiden born when autumn leaves Are rustling in September’s breeze A sapphire on her brow should bind To keep her keen and quick of mind. In autumn the eyes turn upward from the bounteous earth, past the reds and yellows and browns of the restless foliage, to the endless dome of the skies. September is the month of the sapphire, which, like the heavens, ranges from a light celestial blue to the deepest velvet-like dark of indigo. It may have the lucid blue and cool brilliance of a mountain lake. Its color seems to well from endless depths, with a rich luminescence. One of the rarest gems, the fine star sapphire, was held in repute among Egyptian astrologers, who called it the stone of the stars. Wearing a sapphire spun the stars into a favorable conjunction. In more than one section of the world of glamour today, movie “stars” carry on this tradition; sapphire jewelry, especially with a star sapphire, is their most potent talisman. In “the profession” a sapphire is an antidote for stage-fright. It builds confidence, brings success, and at the same time deflects the shafts of envy. The sapphire has also held place in religious functioning. The Bishop of Rennes, in the twelfth century, hailed this stone as the most appropriate for ecclesiastical use: “The sapphire is like the pure sky, and mighty nature has endowed it with so great a power that it might be called the gem of gems.”