A pearl, June’s birthstone symbolizes success, happiness, and love. Unlike most other gemstones, pearls are not mined. The most highly valued pearls are created inside of saltwater oysters and freshwater clams whose shells are lined with mother-of-pearl, or nacre. When a foreign particle enters the mollusk’s mantle, shell-secreting cells attach themselves to the particle and form a protective barrier creating a pearl. Cultured pearls are essentially the same as those found in nature, the only difference being that a foreign particle is intentionally inserted into the mollusk with the express purpose of creating a gemstone.
- Blue pearls – The wearer will find love
- Black and gold pearls – Wealth and prosperity
- Pink pearls – Success, fame, and good fortune
- Brown pearls – Practicality, masculinity, dependability, and harmony
- White pearls – Innocence, beauty, purity, and new beginnings
Alexandrite is the birthstone for the month of June along with pearl. It is an extremely rare, valued and a fairly modern gemstone. Alexandrite is blue-green in color but it turns into purple-red or violet when it is exposed to daylight. Alexandrite was first discovered in the emerald mines near the Tokovaya River in Russia’s Ural Mountains in 1830 and named after Alexander II of Russia, in honor of his birthday. Since the discovery of alexandrite, the gemstone is known to bring luck, good fortune and love. In Russia, it is considered to be a stone of very good omen.
