Pearl Gemstones are beautiful birthstones
for the month of June.

Pearl is the birthstone/gemstone for the month of June and there are many different types. The three most common types are natural, cultured, and baroque.

Natural pearls are (made with no human intervention) formed when an irritant such as a tiny stone or bit of sand gets inside the mollusk's shell.

Cultured pearls are created when people introduce the irritant to the mollusks. Baroque pearls are not perfectly round but are irregularly shaped and equally as beautiful.

Fresh water pearls are given on the 1st wedding anniversary. Pearls are also given on the 3rd, 12th and 30th anniversaries. The Greeks believed that wearing them would promote marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying.

Pearls are commonly white however they may also be black, gray, silver, cream, lavender or pink depending on the type of mollusk and the water it lives in. The mollusk secretes a lustrous substance, called nacre around the irritant to protect its soft internal lining. A pearl is formed as layers of nacre coat the irritant. This process of building a solid pearl can take up to seven or eight years.

Coloration depends on the type of mollusk and the water. Because the nacre is organic, pearls are very sensitive to acids, dryness, and humidity and care should be taken when storing them. They are quite soft on the Mohs scale of hardness: 2.5-4.5 and should be protected from extreme wear. Always spray on your perfume before you put on your pearls.

Pearl Lore & Legend:

Lore and legend of this beautiful gem include beliefs that they offer the power of love, money, protection, and luck. They are thought to give wisdom through experience, to quicken the laws of karma and to cement engagements and love relationships.

The Chinese have a legend that pearls fall to the earth as rain when dragons fight in the sky, and that pearls offer protection against fire breathing dragons. Cleopatra was said to have dissolved a pearl in wine and swallowed it to seduce Mark Anthony because it was thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac, and to attract love. Whatever the legends, they are definitely alluring and make excellent gifts for any occasion.

The following is a list of Birthstones and their respective month.

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