June birthstone

Created by: www.birthstonebrilliance.com

June has three birthstones and they are Pearl, Alexandrite and Moonstone.

Pearls are not very hard as they measure between 2.5 and 4.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

Alexandrite is one of the harder gemstones measuring 8.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness.

Moonstones have a hardness of 6.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness.



Pearls

The word pearl comes from the Latin ‘perma’ and Old French ‘perle’, which means ‘leg’ or ‘leg of mutton shaped.’

Pearls are unique as they are the only gems that are created by living sea life and do not need faceting or polishing to reveal their beauty.

Pearls have been used as jewelry for centuries and were popular during the Roman Empire.


The years of Pearl

The 1500s were known as The Pearl Age in Tudor England.

In the 1900s commercial culturing of round saltwater pearls began.

And soon thereafter, cultured pearls started replacing natural ones in the market.


Alexandrite Alexandrite is considered one of the most precious

and rarest of gemstones. This is due to the Chrysoberyl composition, which includes Chromium. This is what gives Alexandrite the ability to change colour under different lighting conditions. In natural light it appears green but in artificial light the stone turns to red.

Legend has it that this relatively new gemstone was discovered on the birthday of Alexander II, Russian Czar, in 1830. It was named after him and oddly enough, the green and red colours of the stone are the imperial colours of Russia.

What is a Moonstone?

Moonstone is a common gemstone, which is found in feldspar, a stone that makes up most of the crust of the Earth.

Feldspars are present in many types of metamorphic rock and crystallize from magma as veins in both intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks.

Feldspars are also found in many types of sedimentary rock while rock formed entirely of calcic plagioclase feldspar is known as anorthosite.



About Moonstone

Romans and Greeks connected moonstones to their lunar gods and goddesses and the popularity of the gem peaked during the Art Nouveau period.

The moonstone was named for the visual effect, or sheen, created by light diffraction and how that reacts upon a regular succession of feldspar layers.


The popularity of moonstone can be contributed to the many colours that it comes in including:

Blue

Orange

Yellow

Rainbow


Moonstone Crystalline Structures Create a shimmering effect when light is

shined on them, which adds to their appeal.

The floating play of light, called adularescense sometimes appears as a multilayer star or a cat’s eye.

Moonstones are considered a sacred stone in India and are often displayed on a yellow

background and are thought to possess the power to bring good fortune.


Pliny on Moonstone Pliny is a Roman natural historian that

wrote that the appearance of the moonstone actually altered the phases of the moon.

This was believed until after the 16th Century. Romans also believed moonstones actually came from solidified rays of the moon.

The moonstone was named for the visual effect, or sheen, created by light diffraction and how that reacts upon a regular succession of feldspar layers.


Moonstones are mined in a number of places including:

Australia

The Austrian Alps

Mexico

Madagascar

Burma

Norway

Poland

India

Sri Lanka

United States


Date post:	07-Jul-2015
Category:	Lifestyle
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June birthstone

Lifestyle