A Glimpse into the History of Pearls
Pearls are among the oldest known gemstones. In ancient China, they were believed to protect against fire and dragons. In ancient Rome, they were considered the ultimate symbol of status and luxury—so much so that Julius Caesar once passed a law limiting pearl wear to the ruling classes.
Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, pearls adorned royalty and religious figures, representing divine beauty and social power. Before the advent of cultured pearls in the early 20th century, natural pearls were exceedingly rare, often reserved for the elite.
Pearls in the Modern Era
Today, pearls are more versatile than ever. From classic strands to contemporary, sculptural designs, modern pearl jewelry effortlessly blends timeless elegance with fashion-forward flair. They're worn on red carpets, at weddings, and in everyday moments—proving their enduring charm and adaptability.
Designers now play with shape, color, and setting in ways that push beyond the traditional. Akoya pearls, Baroque pearls, and South Sea pearls are increasingly favored for their individuality and luster, offering options for every style sensibility.
Spotlight on Assael: The Pinnacle of Pearl Perfection
When it comes to pearls of exceptional beauty and quality, Assael stands in a class of its own. Founded in the mid-20th century, Assael has built a legacy on curating some of the world's most exquisite pearls—from luminous South Sea and Tahitian varieties to rare natural pearls sourced from the most pristine waters on Earth.
Every Assael piece tells a story of craftsmanship and connoisseurship. Whether it's a dramatic pair of baroque pearl earrings or a refined strand of perfectly matched white South Sea pearls, Assael designs capture both the mystery and modernity of this remarkable gem.
Assael is also at the forefront of innovative design. Their collaborations with contemporary artists and avant-garde jewelers have produced bold, sculptural collections that reimagine what pearl jewelry can be: luxurious, unexpected, and incredibly chic.
Celebrate June with Pearls
Whether you're shopping for a June birthday, an anniversary, or simply treating yourself to something extraordinary, pearls are always in style. From classic to cutting-edge, discover pearls that transcend trends.
What Is the Birthstone for June?
June is one of only three months with multiple official birthstones, offering pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone as equally valid choices for June-born buyers and gift-givers. Each stone presents a completely different aesthetic, price point, and set of symbolic associations, making June one of the most interesting months in the birthstone calendar for anyone who takes the time to explore all three options.
Pearl is the traditional choice and the most widely recognized June birthstone. It is the only gem produced by a living creature and has been treasured since antiquity in cultures from ancient China and India to classical Rome and the Islamic world. Alexandrite, added as the modern June birthstone in 1952, is among the rarest gemstones on earth and is celebrated for its extraordinary color-change from green in daylight to red under incandescent light. Moonstone, the historical alternative, offers a softer, more ethereal appeal: a pale, translucent stone with an inner blue shimmer called adularescence that moves across the surface like a reflection of moonlight on water.
This guide covers all three June birthstones, their meanings, origins, quality factors, and how to choose June birthstone jewelry that fits your style and budget.
Pearl — June's Traditional Birthstone
Pearl is the oldest known gem, predating the use of any mined mineral in jewelry by thousands of years. Unlike every other gemstone discussed in this series, pearl requires no cutting, polishing, or treatment to reveal its beauty: it emerges from the mollusk already finished, already lustrous, already the object of desire. This fundamental difference in origin, a living process rather than a geological one, is the source of much of pearl's enduring symbolic power.
Natural pearls form when a foreign particle enters a mollusk and the creature responds by coating it with layers of nacre, a crystalline calcium carbonate compound, to reduce irritation. Over time these layers build up into the pearl. Cultured pearls, which dominate the modern market, are produced by the same biological process but initiated by human intervention: a pearl farmer surgically implants a nucleus, typically a bead of polished freshwater shell, into the mollusk, which then coats it with nacre exactly as it would a natural irritant. Cultured pearls are genuine pearls in every material sense, and the distinction between cultured and natural is significant primarily in terms of rarity and price at the collector level.
How Pearls Are Formed
The nacre that gives pearl its beauty is composed of microscopic platelets of aragonite crystals oriented in parallel layers and bound together by an organic protein called conchiolin. When light strikes the surface of a pearl, it penetrates through the translucent outer layers and reflects back from multiple nacre layers simultaneously, producing the characteristic soft luminosity and iridescent overtone called orient that distinguishes a fine pearl from a glass or plastic imitation.
Nacre thickness is the most important structural quality factor in pearl value. Thin nacre, which results from pearls being harvested before sufficient layers have accumulated, produces a bright but shallow luster that fades with wear as the outer layers abrade and expose the bead nucleus beneath. Thick nacre, built up over years in the water, produces a deep, complex luster that improves with wear as the outermost layers develop a patina and the pearl takes on the warmth of the wearer's skin.
Types of Pearls: Akoya, South Sea, Tahitian, and Freshwater
The pearl market is organized primarily around four major categories, each produced by a different mollusk species in a different environment, and each with a distinct aesthetic character.
Akoya pearls are the classic pearl of Western fine jewelry: round, white or cream with a pink or silver overtone, and measuring between 6mm and 9mm in diameter. They are produced by Pinctada fucata oysters, primarily in Japan and China, and are the standard against which most pearl quality is judged. A fine strand of Japanese Akoya pearls with excellent luster, round shape, and matched size is the most traditional pearl jewelry purchase and remains among the most elegant jewelry acquisitions at any price point.
South Sea pearls are the largest, most valuable pearls produced in significant commercial quantities. Grown in Pinctada maxima oysters in the warm waters of Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, they range from 10mm to 15mm or more in diameter and come in white, silver, and the highly prized warm golden color produced primarily by Australian and Philippine farms. South Sea pearls have the thickest nacre of any cultured pearl, often exceeding 2mm, which gives them a distinctively soft, satiny luster rather than the high-gloss brightness of Akoya pearls. Golden South Sea pearls, particularly those with deep, even golden color from the Philippines, are among the most expensive pearls in the world.
Tahitian pearls are cultured in Pinctada margaritifera oysters in the lagoons of French Polynesia, particularly around the islands of Tahiti, Rangiroa, and Fakarava. They are the only pearls that grow naturally in dark colors: black, charcoal gray, dark green, the prized peacock green with overtones of green and pink, and deep aubergine purple. Tahitian pearls range from 8mm to 14mm and have a distinctive, dramatic aesthetic that suits both contemporary and bold traditional settings. The finest Tahitian pearls have a high metallic luster with strong orient that makes the surface appear to shift between colors as the pearl moves.
Freshwater pearls are grown in mussels in rivers and lakes, primarily in China. Modern freshwater pearl cultivation has advanced dramatically over the past two decades, and high-quality freshwater pearls now rival Akoya in luster and can be produced in a remarkable range of shapes, sizes, and colors. Because freshwater mussels can produce multiple pearls simultaneously, freshwater pearl production volume is higher than other types, which keeps prices more accessible. For buyers who want fine luster and good shape at a lower price than saltwater pearls, quality freshwater pearls represent excellent value.
Pearl Meaning and Symbolism
Pearl's symbolism is consistent across cultures that developed independently of one another, which speaks to something fundamental in how humans respond to the stone. In virtually every tradition that has valued pearls, they are associated with purity, wisdom, sincerity, and emotional depth.
In ancient China, pearls were associated with dragons, rain, and celestial power. They were offered as tribute to emperors and worn as marks of the highest rank. In Hindu tradition, pearls were associated with the moon and with the blessings of Chandra, the moon god. In ancient Rome, pearls were the ultimate status symbol: Julius Caesar reportedly passed a law restricting pearl jewelry to persons of a certain social rank.
In Christian tradition, pearls became associated with purity and spiritual wisdom, appearing in iconography as symbols of paradise and divine grace. The phrase casting pearls before swine captures the cultural sense of pearl as the most precious thing that can be wasted on those unable to appreciate it.
Contemporary symbolism of pearl centers on authenticity, purity, and quiet wisdom. Pearls are given as coming-of-age gifts, graduation presents, and wedding jewelry precisely because they are associated with the sincere, the genuine, and the enduring. They are the traditional gift for thirtieth wedding anniversaries.
How to Judge Pearl Quality
Pearl quality is evaluated across five primary factors: luster, surface quality, shape, size, and color matching for strands or pairs.
Luster is the most important factor by far. It is the quality of the light reflection from the nacre surface and the depth of the glow beneath it. A high-luster pearl shows a sharp, mirror-like reflection of light sources in its surface and a warm inner radiance beneath. A low-luster pearl looks chalky, dull, or milky. Luster is the factor most directly determined by nacre thickness and the biological health of the mollusk during cultivation.
Surface quality refers to the presence and visibility of surface characteristics including spots, bumps, wrinkles, and abrasions. Pearls are natural organic objects and completely flawless examples are rare: most commercially sold pearls show some surface characteristics, and the question is whether they are visible and distracting in normal wear. Very clean surfaces with minimal characteristics command premiums.
Shape ranges from perfectly round, which is the rarest and most prized form in most pearl types, through near-round, oval, button, drop, and baroque. Perfectly round pearls are the most difficult to produce because the crystalline nacre layers must build up uniformly in all directions, which rarely occurs naturally. Baroque pearls, with their asymmetrical, organic forms, have their own aesthetic and collector following and can be spectacularly lustrous.
Alexandrite — June's Modern Birthstone
Alexandrite is one of the most remarkable natural gemstones in existence and one of the rarest. It is a variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that contains trace amounts of chromium, and the specific way chromium interacts with chrysoberyl's crystal structure produces an absorption spectrum that sits precisely between the green wavelengths of daylight and the red wavelengths of incandescent light. The result is a stone that shifts color depending entirely on the light source under which it is viewed.
The Famous Color-Change Effect
In daylight or fluorescent light, fine alexandrite appears green to bluish-green, with the finest examples showing a vivid, saturated hue that approaches the color of fine emerald. Under incandescent light, a candle, an incandescent bulb, or a warm tungsten lamp, the same stone appears red to purplish-red, shifting dramatically toward raspberry, ruby, or even pure red in the finest specimens.
The quality of the color change is the primary value driver for alexandrite. A strong, dramatic change between clearly distinct hues in both lighting conditions is the ideal, described in the trade as a complete color change. Weak color changes, where the stone shifts between olive green and brownish red rather than vivid green and vivid red, are significantly less valuable. The finest alexandrite, from the original Russian deposits, shows a complete change between pure green and pure red, a combination sometimes described as emerald by day, ruby by night.
The color-change effect occurs at the neural level: the human eye perceives the stone differently in different light because alexandrite's chromium coloration sits at the boundary of visual sensitivity between green and red wavelengths, and the relative contribution of those wavelengths differs between daylight and incandescent light.
Why Alexandrite Is So Rare
Alexandrite's rarity stems from the specific geological conditions required to produce it. Chromium and beryllium, the two key chemical components, are rarely found together in the same geological environment because they form under very different conditions. Chromium is associated with ultramafic rocks while beryllium concentrates in felsic granitic environments, and the two come together only in unusual geological situations where these rock types are in close contact. This rarity means that fine natural alexandrite above one carat is among the most valuable gemstones per carat in the world, often exceeding the price of equivalent ruby or blue sapphire.
Most alexandrite sold in the marketplace at modest prices is synthetic, produced by the Czochralski process or flux growth methods that replicate the mineral's chemistry in a laboratory. Synthetic alexandrite is chemically identical to natural alexandrite and shows the same color-change properties, often with more vivid colors than most natural material. It is sold legitimately and is clearly distinguishable from natural alexandrite by gemological examination. Buyers purchasing any alexandrite represented as natural and at a price consistent with fine gemstone value should request a certificate from GIA, AGL, or Gübelin confirming natural origin and the absence of synthetic components.
Alexandrite Meaning and Symbolism
Alexandrite was first discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia in the 1830s, and the timing and location of its discovery gave it immediate imperial and patriotic symbolism in Russia. The stone was reportedly discovered on the birthday of Tsar Alexander II in 1834 and was named in his honor. Its colors, green and red, coincidentally matched the military colors of Imperial Russia, which made it immediately popular among the Russian aristocracy and gave it associations with royalty, good fortune, and the favor of the powerful.
More broadly, alexandrite's color-change is interpreted symbolically as the ability to hold two truths simultaneously, to be one thing in one context and another in different circumstances without contradiction. It has become associated with balance, adaptability, and the harmony of opposites. For individuals navigating significant transitions or holding complexity in their lives, alexandrite carries a symbolism that resonates beyond its considerable visual appeal.
Moonstone — June's Historical Birthstone
Moonstone is a variety of the feldspar mineral group, specifically a member of the orthoclase and albite feldspar series. Its distinctive optical phenomenon results from a microstructure of alternating layers of two different feldspar compositions that diffract light internally, producing the soft, billowing glow that moves across the stone as it is tilted.
Adularescence: The Moonstone Glow
Adularescence is the technical term for the optical effect that defines moonstone's appeal. It manifests as a soft, floating light, typically blue or white, that appears to move below the surface of the stone as the viewing angle or light source changes. The finest moonstone adularescence is a vivid blue against a colorless or near-colorless body, and the light appears to float just below the surface rather than sitting on it, giving the stone an appearance of depth and inner illumination.
The quality of adularescence varies significantly across moonstone material. Fine blue adularescence in a colorless, transparent body with minimal inclusions is the most prized and most expensive form. More common material shows white adularescence in a milky or translucent body, which is still attractive but commands more modest prices. Rainbow moonstone, technically a variety of labradorite feldspar rather than orthoclase moonstone, shows multi-colored flash across its surface and is widely used in contemporary bohemian jewelry.
Moonstone Meaning and Symbolism
Moonstone has been associated with the moon, femininity, intuition, and the mysteries of the inner life across virtually every culture that has used it. The Romans believed moonstone was solidified moonlight. Hindu tradition regarded it as a sacred stone formed from moonbeams, associated with the god Chandra and used in love magic. In Arab cultures, moonstone sewn into garments was believed to promote fertility.
In Western esoteric tradition, moonstone is associated with the divine feminine, cycles of change, and psychic intuition. It is given as a gift for new beginnings, for the start of creative projects, and for individuals undergoing significant life transitions. The Art Nouveau movement of the early twentieth century used moonstone extensively, drawn to its organic, mysterious quality and its association with feminine mysticism and natural beauty.
Where Each June Birthstone Comes From
Pearls are farmed in marine and freshwater environments across a broad geographic range. Japanese Akoya pearls come primarily from the Mie, Nagasaki, and Ehime prefectures in Japan, with additional Akoya production in China. South Sea pearls are farmed in the waters of northwestern Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Tahitian pearls are produced exclusively in French Polynesia. Freshwater pearls are farmed predominantly in the lakes and rivers of China's Anhui, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces.
The original and finest alexandrite deposits are in the Ural Mountains of Russia, specifically in the Malysheva mine region near Yekaterinburg, where alexandrite was first discovered in the 1830s. These deposits are largely exhausted, which is why Russian alexandrite with certification of origin commands extraordinary premiums. Significant alexandrite deposits were discovered in Brazil in the 1980s, in the state of Minas Gerais, producing material that is generally more yellowish-green in daylight and pinker under incandescent light than Russian material. Sri Lanka has historically produced large alexandrite crystals with moderate color change. More recent discoveries in Tanzania and Madagascar contribute to the current market supply.
The finest moonstones traditionally come from Sri Lanka, where the most vivid blue adularescence in colorless transparent bodies originates. The Sri Lankan deposits near Meetiyagoda have been worked for centuries and remain the benchmark for top-quality moonstone. India produces significant quantities of moonstone, particularly the rainbow moonstone variety from Rajasthan. Additional sources include Myanmar, Tanzania, Brazil, and the United States, where moonstone is found in Virginia and other states.
June Birthstone Hardness and Durability
The three June birthstones represent a wide range of durability, which has significant practical implications for jewelry selection and care.
Alexandrite, as a variety of chrysoberyl, rates 8.5 on the Mohs scale, making it one of the harder colored gemstones available. It has no cleavage and excellent toughness, which makes it well-suited for daily wear in any jewelry setting including rings. Its durability is one of its practical advantages for buyers who want a colored stone for intensive daily use.
Moonstone rates 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale and has two directions of perfect cleavage, making it significantly more fragile than its moderate hardness suggests. The cleavage planes mean that a sharp knock can split a moonstone along an internal plane, and the stone scratches more easily than most other jewelry gemstones. Moonstone is best suited to earrings, pendants, and occasional-wear rings rather than daily-wear bands in high-contact positions.
Pearl is the most delicate of the three, rating just 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, which means ordinary dust contains particles harder than pearl's surface. Nacre scratches easily, is dissolved by acids, and is damaged by many chemicals including perfume, hairspray, household cleaners, and even perspiration over time. Despite this fragility, pearls worn with appropriate care develop a beautiful patina with age and can last for generations.
How to Choose June Birthstone Jewelry
Pearl Earrings and Pendants
Pearl earrings and pendants are the safest and most practical format for displaying pearl's beauty, because they keep the stone away from the contact, abrasion, and chemical exposure that rings and bracelets experience. A classic pair of round Akoya pearl studs in gold or platinum settings is among the most universally flattering earring formats in existence, working with every face shape, hair length, and clothing style from casual to formal.
For pearl pendants, a single pearl on a fine chain in a minimal bezel or claw setting is timeless and versatile. South Sea pearls in pendant format, with their larger size and satiny luster, make particularly striking pieces in simple settings that allow the pearl to speak for itself. Tahitian pearls in drop earring format, showing their full dark body color and iridescent orient, are dramatic and contemporary without requiring elaborate design.
Pearl Engagement Rings
Pearl engagement rings are an unconventional but historically precedented choice, with significant examples in royal and celebrity jewelry history. Queen Victoria wore pearl jewelry extensively, and pearls appear in engagement and wedding jewelry across the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The practical consideration is that pearl's low hardness makes it vulnerable in a ring worn daily, and a pearl engagement ring requires attentive care and periodic inspection of the setting.
For buyers committed to a pearl engagement ring, a bezel setting fully enclosing the pearl's girdle provides the most protection. A vintage-inspired halo or filigree setting in yellow gold surrounding a white South Sea pearl is a particularly beautiful combination. The ring should be removed before any physical activity, before washing hands, and before applying any products to the skin, which is a significant commitment for daily wear but manageable for wearers who choose it knowingly.
Alexandrite for Special Occasions
Natural alexandrite is rare and expensive enough that most buyers encounter it in smaller sizes, typically under one carat, which makes it best suited to earrings, pendants, and accent stones rather than large center stones in statement pieces. A pair of alexandrite stud earrings, approximately 0.50 carats total weight, in a well-cut round or oval format allows the color-change to be appreciated in changing lighting conditions throughout the day and represents an outstanding gift for a June birthday at the collector level.
For buyers willing to invest at the level of a significant gemstone purchase, a fine alexandrite center stone above one carat with a GIA or AGL certificate confirming natural origin and strong color change is one of the most remarkable birthstone gifts imaginable. The stone will be unlike anything else the recipient owns.
Synthetic alexandrite, which shows vivid color change and excellent clarity at accessible prices, is a legitimate alternative for buyers who want the color-change experience without the cost of natural material, as long as the synthetic nature is clearly understood and disclosed.
Moonstone for Everyday Wear
Despite moonstone's moderate fragility, it is commonly worn daily in earrings and pendants without difficulty, and in rings by wearers who handle it with care. Its soft, ethereal quality makes it a natural choice for bohemian, Art Nouveau-inspired, and nature-themed jewelry aesthetics.
For everyday moonstone jewelry, earrings and pendants are the most practical formats. A bezel-set round moonstone in sterling silver or yellow gold is a classic and accessible configuration. For rings, a low-profile bezel setting that protects the stone's edges and keeps it from catching on surfaces is strongly recommended over prong settings. Moonstone rings worn daily should be removed before any physical activity.
The rainbow moonstone variety, technically labradorite feldspar, is widely available at very accessible prices and produces a multi-colored flash that works particularly well in larger cabochon formats. For buyers attracted to the moonstone aesthetic at a modest price point, rainbow moonstone in silver settings offers excellent visual impact per dollar.
June Zodiac Signs and Their Birthstones
Gemini (May 21 to June 20)
Gemini is an air sign ruled by Mercury, associated with communication, duality, curiosity, and quick intelligence. Its multiplicity is perfectly expressed by June's three birthstones: the fact that Gemini's month has not one but three gems to choose from suits the sign's comfort with plurality and its refusal to be reduced to a single identity.
Pearl speaks to Gemini's association with wisdom and communication. Alexandrite, with its ability to appear as two entirely different stones in different lighting, is perhaps the most Geminian gemstone in the entire birthstone calendar: the stone that is one thing in one context and something completely different in another. Moonstone's association with intuition and the hidden inner life provides balance for a sign that can sometimes live too exclusively on the surface of things.
Traditional gemstone associations for Gemini include agate, citrine, and tiger's eye alongside the June birthstones. For a Gemini drawn to birthstone jewelry, alexandrite is the most intellectually appropriate choice; pearl the most traditionally resonant; moonstone the most emotionally expressive.
Cancer (June 21 to July 22)
Cancer is a water sign ruled by the Moon, associated with nurturing, emotional depth, home, and the cycles of feeling. The alignment between Cancer and two of June's three birthstones is intuitive and strong. Pearl, produced in water by a living creature and associated with the ocean, purity, and emotional wisdom, is deeply resonant with Cancer's character. Moonstone, ruled by the Moon in virtually every astrological tradition, is perhaps the most directly Cancer-associated stone in the entire birthstone calendar.
Cancer is the sign most associated with family, legacy, and the objects that carry emotional memory across generations, which makes pearl's traditional role as an heirloom stone particularly fitting. A pearl piece passed from grandmother to granddaughter is exactly the kind of object that Cancer values most: beautiful, old, full of meaning, and impossible to separate from the person who wore it.
Caring for June Birthstone Jewelry
The three June birthstones have very different care requirements, and understanding each one prevents the most common causes of damage.
Pearl requires the most attentive care of any gem in this series. The primary enemies of pearl are acids, which dissolve nacre slowly over time, and abrasion, which scratches the soft surface. Apply perfume, hairspray, lotion, and any cosmetic products before putting pearls on, allowing them to dry or absorb completely before the pearl comes into contact with the skin. Wipe pearl jewelry with a soft, clean cloth after each wearing to remove perspiration and skin oils. Clean pearls only with a barely damp soft cloth, never with ultrasonic cleaners, steam, or any chemical cleaner.
Restringing pearl necklaces periodically is essential maintenance. Pearl strands are knotted between each pearl to prevent them from rubbing against each other and to ensure that if the strand breaks, only one pearl is lost rather than the entire necklace scattering. Over time the silk or nylon cord stretches and the knots loosen, creating spaces that allow the pearls to abrade each other. Restringing by a qualified jeweler every few years, depending on how often the necklace is worn, keeps the strand secure and the pearls protected.
Alexandrite, with its 8.5 Mohs hardness and excellent toughness, is the most durable of the three June birthstones and requires the least special care. Clean alexandrite with warm water, mild soap, and a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaners are safe for natural alexandrite that is free of fractures. Avoid exposing alexandrite to extreme heat, which can affect color in some specimens.
Moonstone requires care commensurate with its moderate hardness and perfect cleavage. Clean moonstone jewelry with a barely damp soft cloth and mild soap, never with ultrasonic cleaners or steam, which can cause thermal shock along the cleavage planes. Remove moonstone jewelry before any physical activity and store it separately from harder stones in a padded compartment or soft pouch. Avoid exposing moonstone to temperature extremes and to household chemicals.
Store all three June birthstones separately from each other and from harder stones. A fabric-lined jewelry box with individual compartments is ideal for protecting pearl from contact with anything that could scratch the nacre.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is June's birthstone?
June has three birthstones: pearl, which is the traditional choice, alexandrite, which was added as the modern alternative, and moonstone, the historical alternative. All three remain equally valid choices for June birthstone jewelry.
What is the most common June birthstone?
Pearl is the most common and most widely available June birthstone. Alexandrite is significantly rarer and more expensive at the natural stone level. Moonstone is moderately priced and widely available.
What does pearl symbolize?
Pearl symbolizes purity, wisdom, and integrity. It is also associated with calm, emotional balance, and the kind of quiet, enduring value that deepens over time.
Is alexandrite real?
Yes. Natural alexandrite is a genuine gemstone and one of the rarest in the world. It exhibits a remarkable color change from green in daylight to red under incandescent light. Most alexandrite sold at modest prices is synthetic, which is a legitimate material but should be clearly disclosed as such.
What is the difference between alexandrite and color-change garnet?
Both alexandrite and color-change garnet shift color in different lighting, but alexandrite shifts more dramatically, from green to red. Color-change garnet typically shifts from blue-green to purple-red. Alexandrite is also significantly rarer and more valuable than color-change garnet at equivalent quality levels.
How hard is pearl on the Mohs scale?
Pearl rates 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, significantly softer than other gemstones. Pearls require gentle handling and are best suited to earrings, pendants, and necklaces rather than daily-wear rings.
What is the difference between Akoya, South Sea, and Tahitian pearls?
Akoya pearls are smaller, typically 6 to 9mm, white or cream, and the most classic pearl type for fine jewelry. South Sea pearls are the largest, ranging from 10mm to 15mm, and come in white or golden colors at the highest price tier. Tahitian pearls range from 8mm to 14mm and grow naturally in dark colors including black, gray, peacock green, and aubergine.
How can I tell if a pearl is real?
Real pearls have a slightly gritty texture when rubbed gently against the tooth surface, known as the tooth test. They also feel cool to the touch initially and have subtle surface variations. Imitation pearls feel uniformly smooth and warm up more quickly against the skin.
Can pearls be worn every day?
Yes, with appropriate care. Pearls absorb perfume, lotion, and perspiration, so these should be applied before putting pearls on rather than after. Wipe pearls with a soft cloth after wearing and store them separately from other jewelry to prevent surface scratching.
