June Birthstone
June is one of only two months that has three birthstones associated with it, giving the lucky people born in June a choice of gemstones between pearl, alexandrite and moonstone. I say one of the lucky ones out of all, you get to choose three set of jewel set, that’s wonderful.
June’s birthstones range from creamy-colored opalescent pearl and moonstone to the rare color-changing alexandrite — one of the most valuable gems on earth. These three are beautiful gemstones to fit in the budget as well.
Pearl
My personal favourite, the natural beauty Pearls are very soft, ranging between 2.5 and 4.5 on the Mohs scale. They are sensitive to extreme heat and acidity; in fact, calcium carbonate is so susceptible to acid that pearls will dissolve in vinegar.
Cultured freshwater pearls can also be dyed yellow, green, blue, brown, pink, purple or black.
Black pearls — which are mostly cultured because they are so rare in nature — aren’t actually black but rather green, purple, blue or silver. They can do wonders with the jewel design.
Pearls used to be found in many parts of the world, but natural pearling is now confined to the Persian Gulf waters near Bahrain. Australia owns one of the world’s last remaining pearl diving fleets, and still harvests natural pearls from the Indian Ocean. Today, most freshwater cultured pearls come from China. South Sea pearls are cultured along the northwestern coastline of Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia.
In many cultures, pearls symbolize purity and innocence, which is why it’s tradition for a bride to wear pearls on her wedding day. Besides being one of three birthstones for June, the pearl is also the birthstone for babies born under the signs of Gemini and Cancer, and frequently gifted on 1st, 3rd, 12th and 30th wedding anniversaries.
Pearls are one of few gems not measured by carats. Luster is the most important aspect of choosing a pearl. The finest pearls are metallic and reflective like mirrors.
Pearls can range in size from 3mm to 13mm. Because pearls do not require polishing or faceting like most gems, finding a pair of pearls that match perfectly in size, color and luster can be more difficult — and more expensive. A matched strand of natural pearls may sell for hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars.
Beware imitation pearls or shell pearls, which are made from conch shells or glass coated with a solution containing fish scales. Rubbing two pearls together will reveal if they are smooth imitation stones, or if they feel gritty from the nacre that comprises natural and cultured pearls.
Pearl Jewel
Alexandrite
“Emerald by day, ruby by night,” alexandrite is a rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that changes color from bluish green in daylight to purplish red under incandescent light.
The colour is extraordinary due to the fact that it changes depending on the light that it’s in.
This chameleon-like behavior is the result of its uncommon chemical composition — which includes traces of chromium, the same coloring agent found in emerald. The unlikelihood of these elements combining under the right conditions makes alexandrite one of the rarest, costliest gems.
The alexandrite mined from Russia’s famed deposits set the quality standard for this stone. Today, most alexandrite comes from Sri Lanka, Brazil and East Africa — generally paling in comparison to the vivid colors of Russian gems.
With a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale, alexandrite is softer than sapphire and harder than garnet — the other gemstones that can change color. However, due to its scarcity, alexandrite is more valuable than most gems, even rubies and diamonds.
In daylight the gemstone appears to be green, however in darker light the appearance changes and the stone becomes red.
Moonstone
The finest classical moonstones — colorlessly transparent with a blue shimmer — come from Sri Lanka. Since these sources of high-quality blue moonstones have essentially been mined out, prices have risen sharply. Moonstones are also found in India, Australia, Myanmar, Madagascar and the United States. Indian gemstones — which are brown, green or orange in color — are more abundant and affordably priced than their classical blue counterparts.
Moonstone is composed of microscopic layers of feldspar that scatter light to cause this billowy effect of adularescence. Thinner layers produce a bluish sheen and thicker layers look white. Moonstone comes in a range of colors spanning yellow, gray, green, blue, peach and pink — sometimes displaying a star or cat’s eye.
This beautiful gemstone’s weakness is its relatively low hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale, making it prone to stress cracking and cleaving. Care is required with moonstone jewelry like rings or bracelets; brooches and pendants are preferred.
Generally, the more transparent the stone and the bluer its adularesence (or sheen), the higher its value. Historically, the highest-quality material came from Sri Lanka, but since those sources have essentially dried up, prices of classical blue moonstone have risen sharply.
Indian moonstones, in colors ranging from brown to orange and green, are more readily available and affordably priced. This means everyone can find a moonstone to fit their style and budget.
Classical moonstones are cut as cabochons with a high dome to accentuate the adularesence. Large blue moonstones (over 15 carats) are rare, but stones with silvery white adularesence are available in sizes up to hundreds of carats.
This beautiful gemstone’s weakness is its relatively low hardness of 6 on the Mohs scale, making it prone to stress cracking. Care is required with moonstone jewelry like rings or bracelets, so brooches and pendants are often preferred instead.
A moonstone is also referred to as a ‘dream stone’, because of it is said to bring sweet dreams to its owner.
Source : https://www.wixonjewelers.com/education/gemstones/birthstones/
