What does the pearl mean?
Pearls have long stood for purity, humility and innocence, so they were traditionally given as a wedding gift.
A pearl grows inside a living oyster or mussel, which coats an irritant, like a grain of sand, in layers of nacre. Most pearls sold today are cultured, grown on pearl farms in the same way.
People once had their own ideas. In the Middle East pearls were thought to be teardrops fallen from heaven, and in China, to come from the brain of a dragon.
Sweet simplicity
How GIA sums up the meaning of the pearl, the first June birthstone.
What color is alexandrite?
Alexandrite changes color with the light. The finest stones are green to bluish green in daylight and red to purplish red under incandescent light, like a warm lamp.
It is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl, named after the young Alexander II of Russia. Its red and green matched the military colors of imperial Russia.
The Russian mines were eventually worked out. Most alexandrite now comes from Brazil, Sri Lanka and East Africa, and fine stones are scarce, especially big ones.
What does moonstone mean?
Moonstone is associated with love, passion and fertility, and is believed to bring great luck. The Greeks and the Romans both linked it with their moon deities.
Its glow has a name, adularescence: light that seems to billow across the stone. The finest moonstones show a blue sheen on a colorless background.
It is the best-known gem of the feldspar family. Art Nouveau jewelers like René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany loved it, and it came back with the flower children of the 1960s.
Solidified moonbeams
What moonstone is made of, according to Hindu mythology.
Pearl, alexandrite or moonstone: which June birthstone?
All three are June birthstones. They come in different colors and at different prices, so there is one for every taste and budget.
 Pearl |  Alexandrite |  Moonstone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Grown by an oyster or mussel | A rare chrysoberyl | A feldspar |
| Color | White, pink, peach, black | Green by day, red by lamplight | Colorless with a blue glow |
| Mohs hardness | 2.5 to 3 | 8.5 | 6 to 6.5 |
| For a daily ring | Too soft | A good choice | Handle with care |
Pearls go on last: perfume, hair products and makeup first, then the pearls. Wipe them with a soft, damp cloth after wearing, and never store them in a plastic bag.
June’s birth flowers: rose and honeysuckleWhat they mean, and how to send it →