Pearl: June's Birth Stone

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Pearls are the official birthstones of the month of June. It is also the accepted anniversary gemstone for the 3rd and 30th years of marriage. Pearls have adorned crowns, clothing, and temples, and were said to be a favourite of Cleopatra and the Queen Mother, yet there are perfectly suited to young girls and are a popular gift for first communion.

June's Birthstone: Pearl
Birthstone Properties: Truth and beauty
Alternative Birthstones: Moonstone and Alexandrite

When it comes to choosing pearl jewellery you have a good selection of colours from sweet rose, white, champagne and black. Pilgrim feature a lot of freshwater pearls in their designs and are dyed to match the enamel and crystals.

The higher the lustre or “orient,” the more valuable the specimen. Greeks believed that pearls were the hardened tears of joy that the Love Goddess shook from her eyes as she was born from the sea. In Arab legend, pearls were formed when oysters were lured from the depths of the ocean by the beautiful moon and then swallowed moonlit dewdrops. Ancient Chinese thought that these gems originated from the brains of dragons.

Whatever their origins, pearls are magnificent!

Pearl Ring

It is easy to forget that pearls come from the mollusc. Divers find natural pearls in The Persian Gulf as well as in the waters off Japan, the South Pacific Islands off northern Australia, and the coasts of Panama, Venezuela, and California.

Besides the popular round shape of pearls, there is also:

Mabe: Large hemispherical cultured pearls
Fresh Water Pearls: Elongated in interesting shapes and colours
South Sea Cultured Pearls: From Australia and Indonesian waters and grow to 10 mm and up.

Gems of unsurpassed beauty and elegance, pearls have been a passion and even an obsession of people throughout the ages. They have been ground up and used in cosmetics and as a medicine to treat heart and stomach conditions. Some cultures swear by pearls as an aphrodisiac.

Only those with royal status once wore pearl jewellery, but eventually these gems were seen among all classes of people. Considered to be a mark of taste, refinement plus a symbol of purity, they are also given as wedding gifts or to celebrate the birth of a child.

Alternate Birthstones

Moonstone: Type of feldspar that earned its name because of its resemblance to the iridescent sheen of the moon. Varies in colour from blue-white to peach. If you wear this you may even experience spiritual understanding. Symbolic of health and longevity.

Alexandrite:. A yellowish or brownish green in colour, this gemstone has the unique characteristic of changing colour to a red hue when exposed to a glowing light source, such as candlelight. Because of this quality, it has been characterized by poets as "an emerald by day, a ruby by night."

Next: Ruby - July's Birthstone

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