June Birthstone
June is one of only two months with three birthstones, and its trio spans the whole idea of what a gem can be: pearl, grown inside a living mollusk rather than mined from rock; moonstone, a feldspar that glows with a floating blue light; and alexandrite, a rare chrysoberyl that changes color entirely — green in daylight, red under warm lamplight. Ancient, ethereal, and near-magical, in that order.
Below: what each of the three actually is, which color counts as "the June color," how a month ended up with an organic gem, a glow effect and a color-change stone on the same line of the chart — and honest buying notes, because two of these three are among the most imitated gems in the world.
The June birthstones
The only birthstone made by an animal: layers of nacre — aragonite platelets bound with organic conchiolin — deposited by an oyster or mussel around an irritant. The overlapping platelets create pearl's soft glow (orient). Almost every pearl sold today is cultured, the deposition started deliberately on a farm: Akoya for classic round whites, South Sea for large golden and silver pearls, Tahitian for naturally dark ones, and freshwater for nearly every affordable strand. At 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, pearls are the softest gem on the birthstone chart.
An orthoclase feldspar whose interior is built of microscopically thin alternating layers; light scattering off them produces adularescence — a soft blue-to-white sheen that seems to float below the surface and roll as the stone turns. The finest material, transparent with a strong blue sheen, comes largely from Sri Lanka and India. At 6 to 6.5 and with two directions of easy cleavage it is a stone for pendants and earrings more than daily rings.
The color-change variety of chrysoberyl, first found in Russia's Ural emerald mines in the 1830s and named for the future Tsar Alexander II. Trace chromium transmits both green and red light almost equally, so the stone reads bluish-green in daylight and purplish-red under incandescent light — "emerald by day, ruby by night." Fine natural alexandrite with a strong change is among the most expensive gems per carat; at 8.5 on the Mohs scale it is also one of the most durable.
What color is the June birthstone?
The conventional June birthstone color is white — from pearl, the month's traditional stone — usually rendered as a soft, iridescent off-white or cream on charts and in birthstone jewelry. Light purple or lilac sometimes appears as an alternative, nodding to alexandrite's lamplight color.
In truth June spans three optical effects rather than one color: pearl's satiny orient, moonstone's floating blue adularescence, and alexandrite's outright color change from green to red. If a chart forces one swatch, white wins; if a gift can pick an effect, June offers the most interesting menu of any month.
How June got its birthstones
Pearls are the oldest gems in continuous human use — no cutting or polishing was ever needed, so a fine natural pearl was ready-made treasure; ancient Rome ranked them above every mined stone. Natural pearl diving in the Persian Gulf and Sri Lanka supplied the world for millennia, until Kokichi Mikimoto's culturing breakthroughs around 1900 turned pearls from royal rarities into an attainable classic — which is why pearl held June's spot when the US list was standardized in 1912.
The 1952 revision added two gems discovered or popularized far later: moonstone, long linked to lunar lore in India and a favorite of Art Nouveau jewelers, and alexandrite, the Russian color-change stone barely a century old at the time. June's line on the chart is effectively a short history of gemology — organic antiquity, romantic effect stone, modern rarity.
Choosing & caring for June birthstones
Pearls: judge luster first (sharp mirror-like reflections beat size), then surface cleanliness and matching; assume cultured unless certified natural, and know that imitation "pearls" (coated glass or plastic) feel smooth against a tooth edge while real nacre feels faintly gritty. Store them apart from harder jewelry and away from perfume. Moonstone: the blue-sheen transparent grades cost multiples of the milky cabochon grades; watch for internal cleavage cracks. Alexandrite: natural stones with a strong change are five-figure gems per carat — most affordable "alexandrite" is lab-grown (a legitimate product, sold as such) or color-change sapphire; an unbelievably cheap "natural alexandrite" is neither.
Frequently asked questions
What is the June birthstone?
June has three official birthstones: pearl (the traditional stone, on the list since 1912), moonstone and alexandrite (both added in the 1952 revision). Any of the three is correct — pearl is the classic answer, moonstone the popular modern favorite, alexandrite the rare luxury.
What color is the June birthstone?
White — pearl's soft iridescent white is the conventional June color on charts and jewelry, with light purple as an occasional alternative honoring alexandrite. Moonstone adds a floating blue sheen rather than a color of its own.
Why does June have three birthstones?
The 1912 standard list gave June pearl; the 1952 revision added moonstone and alexandrite, partly to offer a durable mined-crystal option alongside a soft organic gem. The trade has never trimmed the list back, so June (like December) carries multiple official stones.
Does alexandrite really change color?
Yes — genuinely and dramatically in fine stones. Chromium in the chrysoberyl transmits green and red almost equally, so daylight (rich in blue-green) shows a teal-green stone while incandescent light (rich in red) flips it to purplish-red. The strength of that change, along with clarity, drives the price.
How can I tell a real pearl from a fake?
Rub the pearl lightly against a tooth edge or another pearl: real nacre feels slightly gritty, imitations feel glassy-smooth. Real strands also show subtle variation between pearls and cool to the touch faster than plastic. Drill holes tell too — flaking coating around the hole means imitation. For valuable pieces, a lab can X-ray whether the pearl is natural or cultured.
See the full birthstones-by-month chart or jump to August, December, October.
Last updated 2026-07-18