Disclosure: *Some of the links on this website are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the links and make a purchase I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our small blog.
June is so special ... it has three birthstones!
The month of June is blessed with having not one, not two, but three birthstones! Only two other months in the year have three birthstones assigned to them (if you are wondering, the other two months are August and December).
Not only can June babies boast of having three birthstones but the June birthstones are all absolutely beautiful, you’ll want to own all three!
The first of the June birthstones is the elegant Pearl, the second is the colour-changing magical Alexandrite and the last, but certainly not the least, is the mystical Moonstone.
What more can a girl want?
Pearl
The first of our birthstone choices for June are the Pearl. Pearls suit everyone. Young or old, a cool-toned complexion or warm, pearls suit and flatter anyone who wears them.
Pearls have been used in jewellery for centuries although in ancient times, because they were extremely rare, it was only nobility that used to wear them.
The development of cultured pearls in more recent times means that nowadays real pearls have great price points and are now affordable enough so that anyone can wear the real thing.
Of all the June birthstones Pearl is probably the most well-known. Mother of Pearl is a great alternative for June birthstone.
In the past, Pearls were associated with the 1930’s to 1950’s “twin-set-and-pearls” type of lady, but these days there are many styles of jewellery set with pearls. From more traditional pieces to contemporary jewellery the range of pearl jewellery is varied and vast.
There is some stunning high-fashion pearl jewellery.
Pearls are a beautiful gift for a loved one and are often treasured for a lifetime.
How a Pearl is Made
A pearl is made within a mollusc’s shell, by an irritant causing the body of the mollusc to secrete a substance in ‘defence’.
The layers that are formed in response to the irritant decide the iridescence of the pearl.
Most of the pearls you see being sold today are cultured freshwater pearls.
Kokichi Mikimoto, a Japanese entrepreneur, was credited with creating the first cultured pearl. He famously said, “My dream is to adorn the necks of all women around the world with pearls”. He was known as the Pearl King and is highly regarded in the pearl industry.
Cultivated Pearls are cultivated on Pearl Farms by planting a bead or a Mother-of-Pearl within a nacre-producing mollusc and leaving it so that layers are formed into a pearl.
Types of Pearls
There are a number of types of pearls depending on whether they are natural or cultured and also where they were grown.
South Sea cultured pearls are the most expensive as they take a long time to cultivate and are extremely rare as they oyster they are cultivated in is rare. They are often larger than standard pearls, are of exceptional quality and are beautifully smooth and round.
Coloured Pearls
Pearls can range in colour from white, cream, yellow, blue, green, lavender and mauve.
The colour of a pearl can depend on which sea they came from.
Indian rose-tinted pearls are particularly prized.
Black Pearls
Black Pearls are rarely true black but often purple, aubergine, brown, green, blue and sometimes a mixture of colours when they are called ‘Peacock pearls’.
A black-lip shell, which is a mollusc which produces black Mother-of-Pearl will also produce black pearls.
Alexandrite
The lesser-know of the June birthstones is the seemingly magical Alexandrite.
This mesmerising gemstone actually changes colour from pink-red to green depending on what light it is subjected to.
Alexandrite wasn’t known of in ancient times but is a very modern stone. It was discovered in 1830, near the Ural mountains in Russia, reportedly on the Tsar Alexander II’s birthday – hence the stone being named after him.
Miners, who were looking for emeralds, took this gemstone back to camp where they were astonished to see that it glowed red/pink near the firelight. In the morning, in daylight, the stone reverted to its green colour again.
It was then that the miners realised that they had discovered a new gemstone.
Russian aristocracy couldn’t get enough of the gemstone and it was mined to the extent that it was eventually depleted from their reserves.
Despite recent discoveries, it remains an extremely rare and expensive stone and is very rarely seen in jewellers windows.
In Russia, Alexandrite is a very good omen, bringing luck and good fortune as well as love into one’s life. It is said to hold healing properties, soothing and helping those in despair.
Moonstone
Last but certainly not least of the June birthstones is beautiful Moonstone.
Moonstone is named after its moon-like, milky-white appearance.
The Roman’s loved the stone and believed it was made from solidified moon’s rays!
Considered a very healing stone, it is said by the esoteric world to channel the moon!
Indeed, the state of Florida in the USA in 1970 designated this stone their State Gemstone, to commemorate the moon landings, which took off from Kennedy Space Centre.
In Continental Europe, Moonstone is the favoured June birthstone over Pearl or Alexandrite.
In India, Moonstone is a sacred stone and is often presented as a wedding gift.
Moonstone is a very beautiful stone and relatively inexpensive so is often used in jewellery making.
In the main, Moonstone use in jewellery are cabouchons. This polished, rounded shape is what reveals the blue sheen the best – it is much more unusual to see a faceted moonstone.
If a Rainbow Moonstone gemstone is left open and uncovered at the back, it appears milky white.
If the back of the stone is covered then the stone appears blue, as the blue light is reflected out of the stone, hence Blue Rainbow Moonstone – this is the same stone but appearing to be a different colour.
In our opinion, moonstone is often not thought of as one of the June birthstones, despite it being a much-loved gemstone. In Europe moonstone is a more popular choice than the more well-known pearl on the birthstone list.
Moonstone is supposed to hold healing powers by helping us tap into our intuition and harness our feminine side. Helping connect us to our nurturing qualities, it is therefore said to be beneficial in motherhood.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this short round-up of June birthstones.
For more information, you can read our more in-depth blogs on the individual gemstones featured in this article – pearl, moonstone or alexandrite.
We have also gathered some great general birthstone gift ideas for birthday gifts in our blog here. We hope you like them.
2 comments
Its a really nice website. Thanks for giving full information about Bracelets and Bangles.
Very nice write-up. I certainly love this site.
Stick with it!