Pearl Birthstones for June

Beautiful Pearl – One of the Birthstones for June

 

Large White Fresh Water Pearl & Sterling Silver Pendant

If you are lucky enough to have your birthday fall in the month of June then the beautiful Pearl is one of your birthstones.

Pearls were rare and as it is today, the most expensive pearls are natural pearls made in the wild. Today the majority of pearls sold are cultured or farmed. These pearls are created by implanting a grafted piece of shell (and sometimes a round bead) into pearl oysters or freshwater pearl mussels.

In many cultures the pearl symbolizes purity and innocence, which is why it’s traditional for a bride to wear pearls on her wedding day. Besides being one of birthstones 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 have been used for jewellery for centuries. The ancient Greeks believed pearls were tears of the gods. The oldest known pearl jewellery was discovered in the sarcophagus of a Persian Princess who died in 520 B.C.

Ancient Japanese folktales told that pearls were created from the tears of mythical creatures like mermaids and nymphs. Early Chinese civilizations believed that dragons carried pearls between their teeth, and the dragon must be slain to claim the pearls—which symbolized wisdom.

Other cultures associated pearls with the moon, calling them “teardrops of the moon”. Hindu folklore explained that dewdrops fell from the moon into the sea, and Krishna picked one for his daughter on her wedding day.

As natural pearls were so rare throughout history, only the richest could afford them. During the Byzantine Empire, rules dictated that only the emperor was allowed to wear these treasured gemstones. Ancient Egyptians were often buried with their prized pearls.

Tudor England was known as the Pearl Age because of their popularity with the upper class during the sixteenth century. Portraits showed royals wearing pearl jewelry and clothing adorned with pearls.

 

Girl with a Pearl Earring is an oil painting
by Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer.


Pearls became more accessible in the early 1900s when the first commercial cultured pearls became available in Asia. Since the 1920s, cultured pearls have almost completely replaced natural pearls in the market—making this classic gemstone affordable for nearly any budget.

Thanks to the American Gem Society