June Birthstones: Exploring Pearls and Alexandrites
June 16, 2025
Embracing your birthstone in your personal attire offers a certain charm and allure. June birthdays luck out with multiple options, including the mesmerizing pearl and alexandrite. Sure, these gems are near opposites in appearance. Still, they come with an essence that feels right at home with the warmth and whimsy of June.
If you have a June birthday or know someone who does, perhaps it’s time to amp things up with a unique pearl or alexandrite piece? Grand Jewelers is intimately familiar with these gems, and in honor of June, we’re taking a closer look. We’ll also explore some standout options we carry at our St. Maarten and St. Thomas jeweler locations.
Diving into June’s Birthstones
The practice of attributing certain stones to birth months began in Biblical times. It was only a few centuries ago that people began wearing stones to symbolize the month of their birth.
In 1912, the National Association of Jewelers of America standardized birthstones, connecting pearls and moonstones to the month of June. In 1952, the Jewelry Industry Council of America made alexandrite June’s third birthstone. Moonstones have their own story, but our eyes are on pearls and alexandrites.
The Symbolism of Pearls and Alexandrites
Pearls are often associated with a classic sense of glamour. They’re polished and perfectly round, features that link these stones to purity, knowledge, and the moon. Western cultures have associated pearls with Venus or Aphrodite, since both the goddess and stone were born from the sea.
Alexandrites are said to bring luck, good fortune, and love to people who wear them. Alexandrite was a prized rarity in 19th century Russia due to its color-changing ability. Over time, this unique trait made alexandrite a symbol of personal growth and transformation.
What Makes Pearls and Alexandrites Special?
Common minerals like diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires develop underground. Pearls come about in a much different way: organically within freshwater and seawater molluscs, such as oysters and mussels. Their natural roundness and finish also stands out from other gems you’d find in our Caribbean jewelry stores. Pearls tend to be more polished and must be manually cut.
Alexandrite’s stand-out quality is its color-changing effect. Most other stones have a pretty consistent hue, but alexandrite’s shifts under different lighting. It often appears as green or teal in the daylight, though you’ll see more reddish and purple hues under incandescent light from a lamp or flame. You’ll also find that alexandrite can display different colors under the same lighting, with various angles causing eye-catching transformations.
Pearl Variations
Natural vs. Cultured Pearls
Living molluscs create natural pearls, but how exactly does it happen? After a miniscule irritant enters the mollusc, a defensive response layers the irritant with nacre (made of calcium carbonate and conchiolin, a tough protein). Over time, this process creates a pearl. Natural pearls are rare, so expect to pay a higher price tag. Cultured pearls involve human intervention.
Molluscs still make them, of course. But humans deliberately introduce the sea creatures to irritants to intentionally form pearls. While the circumstances of origin differ, the composition and appearance of natural and cultured pearls is the same.
Saltwater vs. Freshwater Pearls
Saltwater pearls originate within ocean oysters and take longer to form. They are often associated with more luster and higher quality. Freshwater pearls (formed in lakes, rivers, and ponds) tend to be more affordable, as they require less time to fully develop. They are usually smaller with less luster than saltwater pearls.
Colors
That glossy white finish is practically synonymous with pearls, though these stones are much more diverse than you’d think. Pearls can naturally present in a variety of other hues like black, blue, gold, lavender, peach, or pink depending on where and how they are formed.
An alternative pearl color can add eclectic flair to your jewelry and overall look, though the classic white is still the most popular. And it’s popular in our jewelry store locations too.
Alexandrite Variations
Lab-Grown vs. Natural Alexandrite
The composition of natural and lab-grown alexandrites is the same. Natural stones are more expensive due to their rarity and color-changing properties. Lab-grown alexandrites experience the same conditions and therefore have little variation in color properties compared to natural stones.
Alexandrite Cut, Clarity, and Carat
Alexandrites can be cut into an array of different shapes, though they most often featured as round, oval, cushion, and emerald cuts in jewelry. Most alexandrites are under one carat. If you happen to find larger alexandrites, they tend to be far more valuable and expensive.
Alexandrites naturally tend to have very few (if any) visible inclusions. So, clarity is not typically something you’ll consider with this stone.
Alexandrite Colors and Changing Variance
Alexandrites can naturally display hues ranging from blue, green, yellow, pink, purple, red, and grey. Alexandrite stones have variations from one another in general color profile and often have overlap in the range of colors they exhibit depending on the angle and lighting. Different stones also come with a range of strengths, designating to what degree their colors will shift.
Pearls and Alexandrites at Grand Jewelers
Given their distinct features, each gem makes a statement in unique ways when combined with other stones and metals. So next time you’re in search of jewelry St. Maarten or St. Thomas, stop by Grand Jewelers for that must-have piece you’ve been looking for.
Pearl Jewelry
For a simple statement piece, pearls are often worn as eye-catching pendants. The creamy white pairs great with white or yellow gold. Consider Grand Jewelers’ white gold pearls pendants for classic simplicity:
Pearl necklaces, earrings, bangles, and rings also work remarkably well with classic diamonds and white gold. Grand Jewelers has a number of unique designs to suit any wearer:
White Gold Dual Pearl Diamond Necklace
White Gold Single Pearl Diamond Necklace
White Gold Pearl Diamond Pendant
White Gold Pearl Diamond Earrings
White Gold Pearl Diamond Bangle
If you want even more contrast, the white gloss of a pearl stands out even more paired with yellow gold or black diamonds:
White Gold Pearl Black Diamond Bangle
Yellow Gold Pearl Diamond Ring
Alexandrite Jewelry
The dynamic qualities of alexandrite pair perfectly with a number of different metals and gems. Combining the deep hues of alexandrite with the vibrance of yellow gold and classic diamonds is a popular choice.
Our diamond rings in St. Thomas and St. Maarten include these striking alexandrite pieces:
Oval Cut Alexandrite and Diamond Yellow Gold Ring
Circle Cut Alexandrite and Diamond Yellow Gold Ring
Multi-Stone Alexandrite and Diamond Yellow Gold Ring
Tri-Stone Alexandrite and Diamond Yellow Gold Ring
We also carry a variety of options combining yellow gold, diamonds, and alexandrite in stunning bracelets and pendants:
Oval Cut Alexandrite Yellow Gold Bracelet
Oval Cut Alexandrite and Diamond Alternating Bracelet
Teardrop Cut Alexandrite and Diamond Pendant
Oval Cut Alexandrite and Diamond Pendant
Pearls, Alexandrite, and More at Grand Jewelers
Looking for a June birthstone or other fine gems? Look no further: Grand Jewelers will take good care of you. If you find yourself jewelry shopping in St. Maarten or St. Thomas, we’ll be happy to guide you through our diverse selection of gorgeous pieces. We also offer virtual shopping appointments to explore pearls and alexandrites without leaving your home.