June Birthstones!

June counts three gems as birthstones: Pearl, Alexandrite, and Moonstone.

Pearl


For centuries, pearls have been used as an adornment, and were one of the favorite gem materials of the Roman Empire. Later in Tudor England, the 1500s were known as the pearl age.

Pearls are unique as they are the only gems from living sea creatures and require no faceting or polishing to reveal their natural beauty.

Alexandrite

A relatively modern gem, Alexandrite, was first discovered in Russia in 1831 during the reign of its namesake, Czar Alexander II, and is an extremely rare chrysoberyl with chameleon-like qualities. Its color is a lovely green in both daylight and fluorescent light; it changes color to a purplish red in incandescent light.

Due to its rarity, some jewelers stock synthetic versions of this enchanting gemstone.


Moonstone

The third birthstone for June is the moonstone. It was given its name by the Roman natural historian Pliny, who wrote that moonstone's appearance altered with the phases of the moon — a belief that held until well after the sixteenth century.

A phenomenal gemstone, moonstones show a floating play of light (called adularescence) and sometimes show either a multi-rayed star or a cat's eye.