June Birthstone: Pearl

Are you looking for the perfect June birthday gift? As the only organic birthstone in the calendar, pearls offer a unique connection to nature and centuries of rich symbolism. This comprehensive guide will help you understand everything about the June birthstone, including:

• You'll discover what makes pearls truly unique among gemstones and why they're the perfect symbol for June birthdays.
• You'll learn about the fascinating range of pearl colors and varieties, from classic white Akoyas to exotic Tahitian blacks.
• You'll understand how pearls are evaluated for quality and what factors determine their value.
• You'll explore where pearls come from around the world and how they're cultivated.
• You'll gain practical knowledge about pearl care and how to select the perfect pearl jewelry.

What Is The Birthstone For June? Exploring The Organic Gem

The birthstone for June is the pearl, making June-born individuals truly fortunate to claim the only organic birthstone in the calendar. Unlike other gemstones that form within the Earth over extended periods, pearls develop inside living organisms. Specifically, only a small percentage of mollusk species can produce pearls, living in either saltwater or freshwater environments. Each species creates distinctive gems characterized by specific color ranges and sizes.

Pearls were incredibly rare throughout most of human history. Their accidental discovery by food-gathering divers represented a fortunate find, with each new pearl sending wealthy citizens and nobility into acquisition frenzies. The landscape changed dramatically in 1893 when Japanese innovator Kokichi Mikimoto developed the process of culturing pearls. This breakthrough instantly made pearls accessible at reasonable prices worldwide, causing demand to skyrocket. Today, extensive mollusk farms operate in the select locations where pearl-bearing mollusks thrive.

Beyond being the June birthstone, pearls traditionally commemorate both third and thirtieth wedding anniversaries, adding to their significance as meaningful gifts.

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What Is The June Birthstone Color? Pearl Varieties And Hues

The June birthstone color typically features soft, inviting qualities. While some pearls achieve bold, attention-demanding colors, most display a quiet, welcoming appearance that invites closer inspection to fully appreciate their beauty.

Pearls consist of nacre, the substance lining their parent mollusk's shell, meaning their color matches what the growing animal displays. Historically, discovered pearls were white or cream-colored—the hue most people associate with pearls. Today, we harvest pearls from various species that produce gems with an extensive color range:

• White and cream remain market staples, providing classic elegance and versatility.
• Gold, silver, black, and gray pearls have become increasingly common, offering contemporary alternatives.
• Thanks partly to creative breeding, pearl colors now include gentle pinks and oranges to exciting greens and blues.
• These hues range from very light to very dark tones with warm, though usually not particularly strong, saturation.

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While the body color of pearls offers delightful hues on its own, many gems feature a translucent overtone color. These overtones create a secondary hue that twinkles across the gem's surface, providing a compelling multi-dimensional appearance. The four most common overtone colors include:

• Pink pearl (called rosé on white and cream-colored gems and considered highly desirable)
• Purple pearl
• Green pearl
• Blue pearl

Pearls may display a third color element called an orient. Orient typically covers only a small area on the pearl's surface, shimmering with multiple iridescent overtone colors.

Natural pearls—those forming spontaneously without human intervention—remain extremely rare, typically feature irregular shapes, and command high prices for large specimens. Most such pearls predate the culturing process and sell at auction. Consequently, most June birthstone jewelry contains cultured pearls produced using Mikimoto's pioneering technique. There are four primary types of cultured pearls, each offering unique colors and sizes to suit individual preferences.

Akoya Pearls

Akoya pearls represent the classic small or medium-sized white and cream-colored pearls most people associate with the June birthstone. These are the pearls Mikimoto cultivated and marketed worldwide in matched strands—something previously very difficult to achieve. They may display understated yellow, brown, or green colors. Occasionally, you might encounter a dark blue Akoya or an especially prized pink variety. Regarding possible overtone hues, green may appear, but the pink rosé remains greatly desired and increases a gem's price.

Tahitian Pearls

Tahitian pearls can grow larger than Akoyas and often feature dark body colors including black, gray, or rarely brown. You'll also find yellowish-green, purple, and blue-green hues. These powerful colors frequently combine with spectacular overtones in pink, green, blue, or purple. Some popular combinations carry tradenames—for example, the most sought-after Tahitian pearl type is the "peacock" variety, featuring a gray body color with blue or green highlights paired with a pronounced pink or purple overtone.

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South Sea Pearls

South Sea pearls have earned fame for their potentially giant size and shiny gold, silver, and white colors. They also come in orange, yellow, blue, and cream body colors. These hues might combine with blue, green, or pink overtones. South Sea pearls can grow exceptionally large because their host mollusks can be four times larger than those producing Akoya pearls.

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Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls represent the only major cultured pearl type grown in freshwater conditions. They offer an enormous range of appearances. These pearls can display any hue except red, black, gray, silver, or brown, and range from tiny to large sizes. Potential overtone options include pink, blue, and green. Additionally, freshwater pearls frequently grow in multiple shapes—from perfectly spherical to baroque (having no symmetry). The unique crinkled surfaces of baroque shapes can potentially display orient. Since some freshwater mollusks can simultaneously grow over a dozen pearls, these gems provide an affordable option perfectly suited as birthstone gifts for people of any age.

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June birthstone color treatments

Various treatments can alter pearl colors. Dyeing represents the most common treatment, typically applied to white or cream-colored Freshwater and Akoya pearls. Dyes can:

• Deepen natural colors
• Create rare and valuable hues like blue, gold, and pink
• Achieve colors like red that don't occur naturally

The dyeing process isn't necessarily meant to deceive buyers; rather, it commonly creates low-cost, fun, and vibrant colored pearls.

Because pale pink and lightly colored Akoya pearls with rosé overtones hold such beauty and value, many white and cream gems undergo exposure to low levels of red dye immediately after harvesting—a process called "pinking." As with most gemstone treatments, sellers must disclose artificial alterations. However, pinking has become so common that some producers consider it standard practice and don't declare it.

What Other Qualities Are Important For June's Birthstone?

Color represents just one factor in evaluating pearl quality. Seven elements determine an individual pearl's worth, or a collection of pearls' value. Beyond color, the six other criteria include Surface, Luster, Nacre Thickness, Size, Shape, and Matching. Here's a quick overview of these factors to consider when shopping for June birthstone jewelry.

Surface Quality

Surface describes how smooth the pearl appears. Usually, you want the surface to be as uniform as possible but some pearls have exaggerated characteristics that have a unique appeal. Luster is often considered to be the most important of the seven factors. It describes how well light reflects off the surface and the best pearls have bright and sharp reflections. Luster is partly influenced by how thick the nacre layer is. Pearls that are allowed to remain in their host mollusk long enough to accumulate lots of nacre generally have better luster.

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Luster Evaluation

Luster often ranks as the most important quality factor. It describes how effectively light reflects off the surface—the best pearls display bright, sharp reflections. Luster partially depends on nacre thickness; pearls allowed to remain in their host mollusk long enough to accumulate substantial nacre generally exhibit better luster.

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Size Considerations

The ideal pearl size depends on both its type and the wearer's preferences. Consequently, bigger doesn't always mean better. For example, huge South Sea pearls are considered exceptional, while most prefer medium-sized 7-8mm diameter Akoyas.

Shape Varieties

A perfectly round shape usually commands the highest value. However, pearls (especially Freshwater) can grow in many exciting and unconventional forms that appeal to different tastes.

Matching Importance

Because pearls typically sell as pairs or strands, how well they match each other across the other six criteria significantly contributes to their value.

Where Do Pearls Come From? Global Origins Of June's Birthstone

The mollusk species used to culture pearls often demonstrate pickiness about their habitats, compelling pearl farmers to establish operations where these animals naturally settle. Some species survive in only one location, requiring stable conditions and clean water to remain healthy and produce beautiful pearls. Consequently, pearl farmers actively champion environmental protection, advocating for unpolluted oceans and freshwater ecosystems.

Mikimoto cultured his Akoya pearls using small mollusks inhabiting cool Japanese waters, but these mollusks thrive in multiple locations. Successful Akoya farms operate throughout:

• Southeast Asia
• China
• Korea
• Mediterranean and Caribbean waters
• Some African regions

The Persian Gulf, which has supplied natural pearls for over five millennia, also supports Akoya-bearing mollusks.

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Tahitian pearls entered the global market relatively recently, appearing only since the 1970s. Their name somewhat misleads, as the mollusks inhabit many pristine French Polynesian islands. Most farms operate in lagoons around the Gambier Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago.

Many associate South Sea pearls with Australia, home to immense ocean farms managed by technologically advanced ships. These pearls also grow in the warm waters of:

• The Philippines
• Indonesia
• Myanmar

While freshwater pearls constitute much of the world's pearl inventory, their host mollusks inhabit only:

• China (the primary producer)
• Tennessee in the United States
• Lakes Biwa and Kasumigaura in Japan

China maintains its historical significance in pearl cultivation; the earliest cultured pearls—attached to host mollusks' inner shells—originated in China during the thirteenth century.

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Beyond the four primary cultured pearl types, some uncommon pearl-bearing mollusk species operate in other locations. For instance, animals in Mexico's Sea of Cortez produce small quantities of beautiful rainbow pearls.

What Is The Meaning Of Pearls? June Birthstone Symbolism

Throughout their extensive history, pearls have symbolized wealth and luxury due to their rarity, elegance, and delicacy. Pearls often connect with the moon because of their shape, color, and ethereal shine. Vedic texts consider pearls the moon's daughters, born from Earth's waters and heaven's powers. The reflective surface of pearls also evokes water, with some legends depicting pearls as divine tears.

People worldwide associate unblemished pearls with purity and virtue—qualities connected to long, healthy lives. Pearls historically carried reputation for various health benefits:

• Curing depression
• Balancing digestive systems
• Improving eyesight
• Quieting muscle spasms

East Asian cultures particularly attribute significant meaning to pearls, ranging from:

• Granting wisdom to wearers
• Providing good fortune
• Bestowing immortality

Ancient belief held that dragons carried these gems, as expressed in artistic renderings and clothing embroidery.

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Are Pearls Durable? June Birthstone Care Guide

Part of what makes pearls so precious may be their relative fragility as gemstones. The gem ranks as quite soft, scoring only 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs Scale, requiring careful storage in soft cloth to protect them from rubbing against anything—even each other. Pearls can suffer damage if stored in plastic bags or exposed to chemicals. Additionally, the extremely dry air in bank vaults can dehydrate gems stored there for extended periods.

The essential mantra for pearl jewelry care: it should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. This means:

• Apply makeup and fragrances before donning pearl jewelry
• Remove pearls before cleaning your skin
• Gently wipe pearls with a damp (not soaking) cloth after each wearing

Despite these vulnerabilities, proper treatment allows pearl jewelry to be treasured and passed through generations. One of history's most famous pearls, the massive La Peregrina, was recovered from Panama in the 1500s. Worn by royalty and celebrities, it most recently sold in 2011 for an astounding $11.8 million!

How To Buy Pearl Jewelry: Selecting The Perfect June Birthstone Gift

Thanks to Mikimoto's influence, a simple white or cream-colored pearl necklace represents the first style of pearl jewelry most people imagine. For a time, this accessory became an essential part of every lady's personal collection. These strands remain affordable and perfect as treasures even for young people.

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The classic design easily modernizes by using larger or mixed-sized pearls with beautiful colors. Additionally, men have begun reclaiming pearls—while initially marketed to women in modern times, historically pearls were proudly worn by everyone.

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A quick note about pearl strands: pearls can easily outlive their string. To prevent strand breakage:

• Regularly have pearls restrung—up to once yearly for frequently worn jewelry
• Choose strands with knots between pearls—this prevents gems from rubbing against each other
• Knotting ensures that if the string breaks, only a single pearl falls off, preventing frantic searches for multiple loose gems

Earrings provide another accessible way to wear pearls. Look for jewelry featuring well-matched gems or, if designed with intentional differences, ensure those variations appear obvious enough to clearly indicate deliberate mix-matching.

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Pearl bracelets and rings can create absolutely showstopping impressions but should be worn sparingly, especially if expensive.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The June Birthstone

How much are pearls worth?

Thanks to the culturing process, even fine-quality pearls are relatively affordable. There are abundant options of all jewelry types for under $500. Even excellent strands of large pearls can be purchased for under $20,000. Each type of pearl has its own range of prices, but Freshwater gems will definitely be the most affordable option. If you are in the market for something truly exceptional, natural pearls sold at auction can command much higher prices.

Where do pearls come from?

The different types of cultured pearls are made by specific species of mollusks who live in certain places. Many of the saltwater mollusk farms are located in the oceans surrounding East and Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and French Polynesia. The majority of freshwater pearl farms are located in China.

How are pearls made?

Cultured pearls are formed when a bead, often made from the shell of an American mollusk, is implanted into the adult body of pearl-bearing mollusk species. The animal identifies the bead as foreign and coats it in a nacre as a protective measure. It takes between six months and several years for enough nacre to be applied to make a pearl. 

Natural pearl formation is usually triggered when an irritant like sand or a parasite enters a mollusk's shell and initiates the nacre response. Because the core of natural pearls is so tiny, they are comprised almost entirely of nacre.

What is the future of pearls?

The future of the pearl industry is a truly exciting space. As pearls are an organic gemstone whose appearance is influenced by the humans who breed and tend to the mollusks who create them, innovations in size, color, and shape are constantly being unveiled.