June Birthstone - Pearl & Alexandrite – Michael Anthony Jewelers

June Birthstone - Pearl & Alexandrite

Romantic, elegant, and feminine, the June birthstone Pearl is one of nature’s most miraculous creations. Unlike most gemstones formed beneath Earth’s surface, precious pearls are organic, conceived, and built inside living seawater or freshwater mollusk. Pearls exude a rich and serene vibe in their appearance. Their translucent luster has fascinated women since ages, making pearls remarkable for their calm, understated beauty. 

Synonymous with timeless appeal, pearl jewelry complements any style and attire. Interestingly, ancients from the Middle East believed that pearls were nothing but innocent teardrops from the Gods of heaven. No wonder this June Birthstone is invariably associated with virtues of humility, purity, and innocence. While white is the most commonly occurring pristine pearl color, few geographies also bear pearls in delicate shades of black, grey, yellow, green, lavender, and mauve. A celebrity favorite, some of the most precious pearls can be as expensive or even more than a high prized diamond, ruby, or emerald of the same weight. The iconic La Peregrina is one of the most famous natural pearls of all time, weighing 50.56 carats. The Persian Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, and Sri Lanka are the hottest sources of natural pearls, while with human intervention, cultured pearls are also grown in many parts of the world these days.

June Birthstone - Alexandrite

Alexandrite, with its chameleon-like qualities, is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl. Its color can be a lovely green in daylight or fluorescent light, changing to brownish or purplish red in the incandescent light from a lamp or candle flame. This is a result of the complex way the mineral absorbs light.

Alexandrite’s dramatic color change is sometimes described as “emerald by day, ruby by night.” Other gems also change color in response to a light-source change, but this gem’s transformation is so striking that the phenomenon itself is often called “the alexandrite effect.”

Alexandrite is also a strongly pleochroic gem, which means it can show different colors when viewed from different directions. Typically, its three pleochroic colors are green, orange, and purple-red. However, the striking color change doesn’t arise from the gem’s pleochroism, but rather from the mineral’s unusual light-absorbing properties.

Because of its scarcity, especially in larger sizes, alexandrite is a relatively expensive member of the chrysoberyl family. It shares its status as a June birthstone with cultured pearl and moonstone.

Alexandrite is also a strongly pleochroic gem, which means it can show different colors when viewed from different directions. Typically, its three pleochroic colors are green, orange, and purple-red. However, the striking color change doesn’t arise from the gem’s pleochroism, but rather from the mineral’s unusual light-absorbing properties.

Because of its scarcity, especially in larger sizes, alexandrite is a relatively expensive member of the chrysoberyl family. It shares its status as a June birthstone with cultured pearl and moonstone.

In 1839, the stones were identified and named "alexandrites." Because the stones appeared green or red, the same colors as Old Imperial Russia’s military colors, the stone became the national stone of tsarist Russia. In time, alexandrite would become one of the most prized gemstones amongst Russian Aristocracy. However, the abundance of alexandrites in Russia did not last forever. Practically all of Russia’s alexandrite was mined during the 19th Century. However, just when the gems were thought to be headed to extinction, even larger deposits were found in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, the island south of India. Later on, Brazil became another contributor to the world supply of the stone.