June has three birthstones: pearl, an organic gem in white, cream, pink and black; moonstone with its blue sheen; and color-changing alexandrite.
June offers more choice than almost any other month. Pearl held the slot on the 1912 American list, with moonstone as its alternate, and a 1952 revision added alexandrite to give the month a hard, color-changing stone. Each comes from a different world: pearl grows inside a living mollusk, moonstone is a feldspar with a soft glow, and alexandrite is a chrysoberyl that shifts color with the light. Together they cover everything from delicate to durable.
Pearls have long been associated with purity, humility and innocence, and ancient lore described them as teardrops from heaven, which helped make them a traditional wedding gift. Moonstone was linked with the moon deities of Greece and Rome, and Hindu lore called it solidified moonbeams. Alexandrite is the newcomer, named after the future Russian tsar Alexander II; its red-and-green change was said to echo the military colors of imperial Russia.
Pearl is an organic gem made of nacre, mostly calcium carbonate, grown inside saltwater or freshwater mollusks. Colors include white, cream, pink, silver, golden and black. At 2.5–3 on the Mohs scale it is by far the softest June choice. Notable sources include Japan, China, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and French Polynesia. Most pearls today are cultured, while natural pearls historically came from the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Mannar.
Moonstone is a feldspar, mainly orthoclase or adularia, known for adularescence: a soft blue sheen that seems to drift across the surface as the stone moves. The body is usually colorless. It measures 6–6.5 on the Mohs scale and has poor toughness, so it suits pendants and earrings better than rings exposed to knocks. Notable sources include India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Madagascar, Myanmar, Tanzania and the United States.
Alexandrite is a color-change variety of chrysoberyl. In daylight it looks green to bluish green; under incandescent light it turns red to purplish red. That shift is its whole identity. With a hardness of 8.5, good toughness and no cleavage, it is the most wearable of the three June stones. Russia's Ural Mountains were the historic source, and today it comes from Brazil, Sri Lanka and East Africa.
June's stones need three different routines. Pearls go on last: apply perfume, hairspray and makeup first, wipe them with a soft damp cloth after wearing, and keep them apart from other jewelry, never sealed in plastic bags. Moonstone should skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners entirely and be washed in warm soapy water, since heat can crack it. Alexandrite is the easy one, tolerating warm soapy water and, in most cases, ultrasonic or steam cleaning.
| US list | UK list | Japanese list (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| PearlMoonstoneAlexandrite | Pearl(Moonstone) | PearlMoonstoneAlexandrite |
Alexandrite, at 8.5 on the Mohs scale, stands up best to daily wear. Moonstone, at 6–6.5, is softer and less tough, and pearl, at 2.5–3, is the most delicate. Color is the other deciding factor: pearl offers soft neutrals, moonstone a blue glow, alexandrite a green-to-red change.
No. The National Association of Jewellers lists pearl as June's main stone and moonstone as the alternative, matching the original 1912 American pairing. Alexandrite appears on the American list and was also added to Japan's list in its 2021 revision.
JanuaryGarnet
FebruaryAmethyst
MarchAquamarine
AprilDiamond
MayEmerald
JunePearlMoonstoneAlexandrite
JulyRuby
AugustPeridotSpinel
SeptemberSapphire
OctoberOpalTourmaline
NovemberTopazCitrine
DecemberTurquoiseTanzaniteZirconBirthstones are a jewelry and cultural tradition, and their meanings are folklore. Gem facts are compiled from public material by GIA, the American Gem Society and Jewelers of America.