The June Birthstones – Pearl & Alexandrite
What is the June Birthstone?
People who are born in June are actually lucky enough to have not one, but three stones associated with their birthdays. The June birthstones are: pearls, alexandrite’s & moonstones.
June Birthstone #1: Pearls
Officially the world’s oldest gem, pearls are unique as they are not found deep under earth like most gemstones, but instead are created by living sea creatures, (mainly oysters). Because of this, the exact date that pearls were initially discovered is unknown. However, one of the first recordings of pearls was from 420 BC when a fragment of pearl was discovered in the tomb of a Persian Princess. Pearls were also used as part of decorations in 4th Century BC Egypt.
There are two types of pearls:
Natural Pearls – these are pearls that grow naturally, inside either oysters or mussels. In the past all pearls were ‘natural’, but as time’s moved on pearls are extremely rare and expensive and are not generally available.
Cultured Pearls– cultured pearls are created when humans introduce a foreign body or ‘nucleus’ into either an oyster, or mussel, which it then covers in ‘nacre’ or mother of pearl.
There are four main types of cultured pearls:
- Akoya- Akoya pearls are found Akoya Oysters in both Japanese & Chinese saltwater seas. The sea temperatures of between 15-20 degrees Celsius are perfect for giving the pearls their rich white, cream, silver & silver pink colours. Akoya pearls tend to be on the market in sizes of between 3-10mm.
- Tahitian- Tahitian Pearls are exclusively found in the saltwater lagoons of French Polynesia in the black-lipped Pinctada Margaritifera Cumingii oyster. They are silver, grey, or black in colour, with a hint of pink, green and blue. They can reach a size of 8 to 14mm in diameter.
- Freshwater- Freshwater pearls are the most common and affordable pearls. Originally found in Chinese freshwater mussels around 800 years ago they come in a range of sizes and colours. Freshwater pearls usually measure between 4mm-14mm, however some pearl farmers have produced pearls that surpass even this! Colours tend to range between pink, lavender, white and apricot.
- South Sea- South Sea pearls a known to be one of the most luxurious types of pearls due to their silky shine. They are grown for between 2-3 years in the Pinctada Maxima oyster. Their colours range depending on whether they are grown in a silver-lipped oyster or a gold-lipped oyster. Pearls grown in silver lipped oysters are white with hues of silver, pink and blue. Those grown in gold-lipped oysters are gold with overtones of yellow and orange. South sea pearls tend to be found in the water between the Indian & Pacific oceans.
June Birthstone #2: Alexandrite
An Alexandrite is a rare gemstone that was first found near the Tokovaya River in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1830. It was named after Tsar Alexander II as it was discovered on the day he came of age.
Up until 1987 the gem was solely found in Russia until it was discovered in Hematita, Brazil.
The colour is extraordinary due to the fact that it changes depending on the light that it’s in. In daylight the gemstone appears to be green, however in darker light the appearance changes and the stone becomes red.
In mystic terms an Alexandrite is meant to bring creativity to the wearer as well as to strengthen their intuition and imagination.
June Birthstone #3: Moonstone
A moonstone was named by the Greek’s after its similarity to the moons silvery light. Its colour can range from being colourless, to a white, grey, brown, yellow, orange, green, or peach colour.
A moonstone is also referred to as a ‘dream stone’, because of it is said to bring sweet dreams to its owner.
If you have been inspired by this post on June birthstones and would like your own gemstone ring, take a look at our stunning collection here.