June Birthstone – Pearls

June 1, 2017

Pearls are one of three birthstones for June, the two others being alexandrite and moonstone. Pearls symbolize purity and innocence in many cultures, which is why it’s tradition for a bride to wear pearls on her wedding day. Besides being the birthstone 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 the only gemstones made by living creatures. An oyster, mussel, or clam forms natural Pearls with their defense mechanism against irritants – usually a parasite and not the commonly known grain of sand. A fluid is used to coat the irritant from the sea creatures. Layer upon layer of this coating, called ‘nacre’, is deposited until a lustrous pearl is formed.

The name pearl is derived from the Old French perle, from the Latin perna meaning “leg,” referencing the leg-of-mutton shape of an open mollusk shell. Pearls used to be found in many parts of the world, but natural pearling is now confined to the Persian Gulf waters near Bahrain. Today, most freshwater cultured pearls come from China. South Sea pearls are cultured along the northwestern coastline of Australia, the Philippines and Indonesia.

The teardrop pearls holds many tearful legends. Ancient Japanese legends told stories of mermaids and nymphs crying tears of pearls. Greek gods and the moon also wept shiny streams on pearls. Whether you’re wearing pearls to honor ancient stories, symbolic traditions, or just love the look of classic elegance pearls give, one thing is for certain. Pearls are timeless.

Mikimoto 18K White Gold Pearl Necklace $2,980

pearl necklace