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Blog CF - Fine Jewellery & Antiques
June Birthstones - 2016-06-09
June Birthstones
June's Birthstones are Pearls, Alexandrites and Moonstones!
Sunny, warm June marks the beginning of Summer, and lucky June babies also recognize it as the month of several Birthstones! Shimmering, iridescent Pearls share this month with the elusive Alexandrite stone and the lesser claimed Moonstone.
Never heard of Alexandrite? You're not alone! This intriguing, rare stone is known as a colour changing stone because it shifts from shades of blue green in daylight to deeper tones of red and purple under incandescent light. The exact natural circumstances that must happen to create Alexandrite with its prized colour changing property are quite rare, so the stone is highly prized and valued. While wildly popular during the Victorian era and with Russian Tsars Alexandrite is rarely found in modern jewelry because of the stone's scarcity.
Alexandrite was named for Tsar Alexander II of Russia when it was discovered in Russia in 1834 on the same day as the future Tsar's coming of Age. Alexandrite enjoyed a comeback in the 1980s when new natural deposits were discovered, after which its popularity died down again due to the difficulty of procuring one of the rare stones. Because of Alexandrite's unique traits this stone is believed to inspire creativity, inspiration and imagination in its owner. Alexandrite makes the perfect gift for the Artist in your life; with the same unique and ever changing dynamic energy of an artist encapsulated in a single stone.
For Earthy June babies who are searching for an inner calm the shifting silvery tones of the Moonstone mimic the ethereal moon itself and claim tranquil properties. Romans and Greeks honoured the stone and associated it with their beloved Lunar Deities. The enchanting milky shades of light within moonstones appear to the eye to move and shift like clouds across a luminescent moon or the tides that naturally rise and fall in the pull of the same. Moonstones enjoyed popularity during the Art Nouveau period as their natural, earthy feeling suited the tones of the movement. Moonstones can be found in many natural colours, all of which claim different healing properties. Dreamers and lovers can find a perfect match in a piece of Moonstone jewellery.
In 1916 the Pearl was declared the official birthstone of June, and has quickly outpaced Alexandrite and Moonstone in popularity as a June gift ever since. Pearls have a long standing history dating back to their earliest discovery in the Sarcophagus of a Persian Princess who was laid to rest in 520 BC.
Pearls are the only organic jewel created by a living creature. Mollusks react to an irritant inside their shell by coating it in layers of protective, iridescent Nacre until a Pearl is formed. The colour of a Pearl mimics the shade of the inside of the shell from which it was created so pearls come in tones of white, cream or champagne, and from soft grey to inky, iridescent black. Every Pearl is unique, with no two identical stones in existence. What a darling way to tell that special someone that they are one of a kind, and utterly irreplaceable in your life!
Natural pearls are rare and were once very dangerous to dive for so the Pearl gained popularity as the 'Queen of gems and the Gem of Queens' - anonymous. Methods for reliably farming pearls began around 1916 and pearls became more accessible to consumers worldwide, sparking the movement for women to drape themselves in 'ropes and ropes of pearls' - Coco Chanel. In cultured freshwater and saltwater pearls a small 'bead' composed of shell or other material is placed inside the oyster or mussel which becomes the Center of a Pearl.
Pearls have found their way into the necklaces we all know and love, as the accent or the centre in rings and also into a variety of intriguing earrings. Droplets that demurely glow against the lobe of your ear or dangle enticingly innocent at the nape of your neck, pearls are a perfect earring for any occasion. Pearls are proper ladies and prefer to avoid the lavish scents, creams, and fragrant waters that we often apply to our necks and hands. The pearl earring becomes the perfect location to display and protect those radiant, classic pearls.
As written in People & Pearls: The Magic Endures; 'When a woman wears pearls, it is she who shines. Pearls complement a woman in whatever she is doing. They become part of her, not something worn by her'. Pearls are a timeless stone which have enjoyed a storied love affair with fashion, fame, and royalty; but they can still gracefully take a backstage role to the beauty of the woman wearing them.
Intrigued by the thought of this enchanting stone that symbolizes Friendship and loyalty? Or perhaps you're dwelling on the thought of Artsy Alexandrite or Mystical Moonstones? Come on in to Cynthia Findlay's for a wonderful selection of June birthstones, and enjoy the lovely weather with the knowledge of the perfect gift tucked away for that special June Event!
