Let us a wish a very happy birthday to all of the early summer babies, the twin Geminis and crabby Cancers!  As if boasting claim to 2 very cool zodiac signs weren’t enough, you have to declare 3 gorgeous gemstones of your own as well.  June is marked with the Pearl, Alexandrite and Moonstone as it’s 3 birthstones, talk about taste!

We all know Pearls, the lustrous and lovely gems known for their purity and grace, available in a range of colors from black to white and just about everything in between.  The only gem harvested from living sea creatures, pearls need no polishing or faceting to reveal their natural beauty. This is certainly the most popular and well known of the 3 June birthstones.  Keep checking back here, we will be exploring this gemstone in further detail in upcoming posts.

Alexandrite, not so well known as the popular pearl, is a very rare, strikingly beautiful gemstone.  It was only just discovered in Russia in 1831, a very young gem in our history.  Viewed in natural daylight or fluorescent light, this gem is a glowing and gorgeous shade of green, bright and reminiscent of Caribbean ocean waters.  But indoors, under lamplight this gem radiates warm, raspberry red tones.  Due to it’s extreme rarity, it is not frequently used today in modern jewelry, though synthetic Alexandrite can be located.

Last but not least, we have the mysterious Moonstone.  First thing we should mention regarding Moonstone, you guessed it, it does not come from the moon!  It received it’s name from the visual effect it creates when it is moved about.  The shimmering surface appears to be fluid and actually moving, this phenomenon is called adularescence.  In ancient times people believed they could see the waxing and waning of the phasing moon in the Moonstone’s surface, securing this gemstone it’s name.  It is most often seen in pale blues, but light browns, oranges and greens are common in India as well.  Unfortunately, jewelry these days lacks the use of the beautiful and feminine Moonstone, but this gem was very popular 100 years ago during the time of French Art Nouveau.

Loaded up with this information, June birthday shopping just opened up a lot more options!  If you are a June baby, which stone are you?  Are you the innocent, pure Pearl type… perhaps you’re the enigmatic and eccentric Alexandrite or maybe the mysterious and mystical Moonstone is more your style?  Whichever personality you may be, you are fortunate enough to have not 1 or 2, but 3 very different and equally beautiful birthstones to choose from…what fabulous luck!