June Birthstones: Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite
If you are born in the month of June, you are lucky to have not just one, but a trio of fascinating gems to choose from as your June birthstone. Each of them is unique and tells its own story. Keep reading!
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What is the birthstone for the month of June?
The three officially recognised June birthstones are pearl, moonstone, and alexandrite. Each of those has a unique charm, look, and energy. Let’s find the perfect gem that speaks to your soul!
Ancient June birthstone: Pearl
Pearl is the ancient June birthstone. It has been connected to June since ancient Romans linked the pearls to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, believed to be born in the month of June.
Pearl’s gentle glow and color play have symbolized purity, humility, and innocence for centuries. You might feel drawn to pearl’s “sweet simplicity” as a crystal lover seeking balance and calm.
Traditional June birthstone: Moonstone
Moonstone has been the traditional June birthstone since 1912. Its main attraction for centuries has been its soft, glowing sheen that moves across the stone’s surface, reminiscent of moonlight.
The shimmering, moon-like glow is associated with lunar energy and protection, transformative powers, luck, love, and healing.
Modern June birthstone: Alexandrite
Alexandrite is the modern addition, joining the July birthstone list in 1950. Alexandrite is a rare gemstone, best known for changing colors under different lights. Called “emerald by day, ruby by night”, it appears green in daylight and shifts to a purple-red under incandescent light.
Its remarkable color shift makes it a symbol of transformation, adaptability, duality, and harmony. It serves as a metaphor for embracing change and maintaining balance through life’s transitions.
Unique properties of June birthstones
What are pearls?
Pearls are unique as the only organic gemstone, created inside living creatures. Pearls form inside mollusks (oysters and clam shells) as a natural defense against irritants trapped inside the shell. As the mollusk secretes layers of nacre (mother-of-pearl) to coat the irritant and protect itself, the layers build up to create a pearl.
These days, natural pearls, where the irritant enters the mollusk by chance, are fairly rare. Most pearls are cultured in pearl farms, where a technician deliberately introduces a nucleus (often a bead or piece of tissue) into the mollusk to initiate pearl formation. The process is fairly slow, with an average-sized pearl taking 2-7 years to grow.
Compared to traditional gemstones, pearls are soft. With a Mohs hardness of only 2.5 to 3.0, pearls scratch easily and need gentle care to maintain their beauty.
A pearl is a beautiful accident of nature – rare, valuable, whispered about since ancient times.
What is moonstone?
Moonstone is a gemstone that belongs to the feldspar mineral group. It is famous for its unique glow sheen phenomenon, called adularescence, created by light scattering between thin, alternating layers of the orthoclase and albite feldspar minerals within the stone.
Moonstone rates 6.5 on the Mohs scale for hardness, so unlike pearls, it is reasonably hard and suited for everyday wear jewelry.
Moonstone doesn’t just capture light, it captures the very essence of mystery that has drawn humans to the moon since the beginning of time.
What is Alexandrite?
Alexandrite is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. It is one of the rarest gemstones in the world. Its formation requires a unique geological coincidence: the presence of both beryllium and chromium, elements rarely found together in the same rocks.
It was first discovered in the 1830s in the Ural Mountains of Russia and named after the future Czar Alexander II. Its green and red Russian royal colors, plus name association with Russian royalty, helped build its mystique and prestige.
The original Russian deposits produced stones with vivid color changes, setting a high standard for quality. They were quickly depleted, and although new deposits have been found, alexandrite remains exceptionally scarce. Today, most alexandrite comes from Sri Lanka, Brazil, and East Africa.
Alexandrite is a hard stone, scoring 8.5 on the Mohs scale, making it durable for jewelry.
June birthstone colors and meanings
You are literally spoiled for choice when it comes to June birthstone colors, as each of the three June birthstones comes in multiple color varieties. Let’s see which one is your favorite. Strap down – there is a lot.
Pearl birthstone colors
Pearls naturally occur in a remarkable array of colors, with the type of oyster or mussel producing the pearl being the primary determinant of its color. Some of the most common pearl birthstone color varieties include:
White pearls: The classic and most recognized pearl color, especially in Akoya, South Sea, and freshwater pearls. White symbolizes purity, innocence, and classic elegance. It is often associated with weddings and traditional jewelry
Cream pearls: A warm, subtle hue often found in Akoya and South Sea pearls. Cream color represents calmness, sophistication, and warmth.
Pink/Peach Pearls: Soft, romantic shades, common in freshwater pearls, but also seen as overtones in Akoya pearls. Pink and peach colors are linked to love, romance, and femininity, and they bring happiness and emotional balance.
Gold Pearls: Color especially prized in South Sea pearls, ranging from light champagne to deep gold. Gold color signifies wealth, prosperity, and success. Golden pearls are seen as luxurious and regal.
Silver Pearls: Common color seen in South Sea and Akoya pearls, with a cool, metallic sheen. Silver color is seen as modern and is associated with clarity and a calm spirit.
Black Pearls: The most famous black pearls are Tahitian pearls. Black symbolizes mystery, independence, and strength. Black pearls are often considered exotic and unique.
Lavender/Purple Pearls: These colors are common in freshwater pearls, ranging from light lilac to deep purple. Purple color is connected to creativity, wisdom, and nobility.
Blue Pearls: A rare color for a pearl, but can occur naturally in pearls such as Akoya and some freshwater varieties. Represents tranquility, trust, and peace.
Green Pearls: Green color is often seen as an overtone in Tahitian pearls. Green symbolizes renewal, growth, and hope.
Moonstone birthstone colors
Each moonstone variety offers a distinct energetic quality, making them popular choices for emotional healing, spiritual practices, and personal transformation.
Blue Moonstone: Highly transparent with a strong blue sheen moonstone is considered the finest and rarest. It promotes protection, intuition, and inner strength, balances energy, helps with awareness and letting go, and encourages clarity and spiritual insight
White Moonstone: Colorless to white, often with a mystical white or blue glow, white moonstone enhances intuition, psychic perception, and vision, helps with new beginnings and emotional balance. It was made into talismans for protection during travel and success in love.
Rainbow Moonstone: Colorless or white body with a multicolored (blue, green, pink, orange) iridescent sheen. Technically, rainbow moonstone is a variety of labradorite. It acts as a prism, diffusing energy throughout the aura and providing psychic protection, aids in lucid dreaming, calms sleep, and deflects negativity. It connects with Goddess energy, nature spirits, and cosmic consciousness, facilitatating spiritual growth and intuition.
Peach Moonstone: Delicate peach or champagne hue, often due to copper inclusions. Peach moonstone supports the heart, soothes worry and anxiety, and promotes emotional healing. It enhances creativity, nurtures, and brings out the best in people.
Green Moonstone: Pale green to yellow-green, sometimes called Garnierite. It takes its color from nickel impurities. Green moonstone symbolizes abundance, prosperity, renewal, and emotional healing and is associated with nature and vitality.
Gray Moonstone: Smoky gray, sometimes with a silvery sheen, it takes its color from aluminum impurities. It is associated with perceiving beyond the veil, helping with clairvoyance and shamanic work.
Brown Moonstone: Warm brown, often due to iron oxide and other impurities.
Black Moonstone: Deep ebony tones, resulting from higher magnesium and mineral content.
Both brown and black moonstone are linked to grounding and protection energies.
Colorless Moonstone (Adularia): Colorless to white, cream, pale yellow, pink, or reddish-brown, often with a white to blue sheen. It invites awakening and connection to higher consciousness or Source energy.
As you can see, there is no shortage of moonstone color varieties. We hope listing some of their metaphysical properties might help you choose your favorite.
No matter what color moonstone you choose, they all embody the essence of the moon, reflecting feminine energy, intuition, and emotional harmony, and can be used for spiritual growth, balance, and connecting with lunar cycles.
Alexandrite birthstone colors
Alexandrite is unique as it comes with many colors in a single stone, which change depending on the type of light it is viewed under:
- Daylight or Fluorescent Light: Alexandrite typically displays a green to bluish-green or emerald-green hue. This is due to the way chromium ions in its crystal structure absorb light, allowing more green wavelengths to be reflected in natural or cool light sources.
- Incandescent or Candlelight: Under warmer, incandescent lighting, alexandrite shifts to a red, purplish-red, or even raspberry-red color. Incandescent light has more red wavelengths, which the stone reflects strongly in these conditions.
- Other Light Conditions: Alexandrite can also show pink, purple, or brownish-red hues under various artificial lights, and may display an intense glowing red under ultraviolet light
If you fancy wearing a different color jewelry depending on where you sit in the bar, then alexandrite is your ticket to fame.
June birthstone jewelry
June birthstone jewelry offers a unique blend of elegance, mystery, and meaning, thanks to its trio of stunning gems: Pearl, Moonstone, and Alexandrite. Each stone brings its own energy. Pearl is known for purity and calm, Moonstone for intuition and emotional balance, and Alexandrite for transformation and joy.
Wearing birthstones against the skin is believed to enhance their benefits, creating a beautiful harmony of serenity, insight, and inner strength. Whether you’re drawn to their beauty or their deeper symbolism, June birthstone jewelry is a perfect way to celebrate your individuality and connect with your inner light.
June birthstone rings
From the soft glow of Pearls to the magical shimmer of Moonstone or the color-changing wonder of Alexandrite, a June birthstone ring is a meaningful piece that carries emotional depth and timeless style. Worn daily, it’s said to bring balance, love, and personal growth.
Made of solid sterling silver with a large stone and leaf decoration.
June birthstone bracelets
A June birthstone bracelet wraps your wrist in gentle, supportive energy. It’s a lovely choice for those who want to feel more connected to their emotions and carry a sense of calm and confidence throughout the day. June birthstone bracelets are beautiful pieces for both casual and formal wear.
June birthstone earrings
Elegant and soothing, June birthstone earrings bring the energy of these gemstones close to the mind, helping with clear thinking, emotional expression, and inner calm. They add charm to any look while encouraging balance and self-awareness.
June birthstone necklaces
A June birthstone necklace keeps these powerful stones close to the heart, encouraging peace, intuition, and emotional clarity. Whether it’s a delicate pearl strand or a glowing moonstone pendant, it’s both graceful and grounding.
Whether you prefer the classic beauty of pearls, the dreamlike glow of moonstone, or the rare magic of alexandrite, June birthstone jewelry offers a meaningful and stylish way to honor your birth month or simply enjoy the energy of these captivating gems.
Conclusion
Whether you prefer the classic look of pearls, the mystical glow of moonstone, or the rare beauty of alexandrite, June birthstones are as unique as you. Even better, they come in a wide variety of colors, each with its unique meaning and trait. Let these gems remind you of your birth month’s special gifts while adding sparkle to your collection.
FAQs
What is the June birthstone?
Pearl is the ancient birthstone for the month of June. It is a unique gemstone because it forms inside living creatures rather than in the earth. Another June birthstone is moonstone, with a similar shimmer and glow as pearls. Finally, alexandrite is a modern addition to the June birthstone list.
How many birthstones does June have?
June has three birthstones: pearl, moonstone, and alexandrite. Pearl has been associated with June since ancient Romans linked it to the goddess Venus, believed to be born in June. Pearl and moonstone were standardized as Jube birsthstones in 1912 by the National Association of Jewelers of America, with alexandrite added to the list in 1952.
What does a pearl birthstone symbolize?
Pearls symbolize purity and innocence. They’ve been treasured for centuries as symbols of wisdom gained through experience. Like a pearl that grows from a tiny grain of sand, we grow stronger through life’s challenges.
