Birthstone Engagement Rings: June

If you were born in the month of June, you are lucky enough to have three birthstones to call your own. June is one of only three months (the others are August and December) with three birthstones, giving you various beautiful birthstone choices. The June birthstones are pearl, alexandrite and moonstone.

The Meaning

Pearls are a symbol of wisdom, luck, purity, and love. Like other precious stones and crystals, they contain powerful energy and abilities. That is why some believe pearls have the power to heal the body, mind, and soul. Because they are white, pearls have long symbolised purity, pure love, and fertility. That is part of why pearl necklaces are so popular with brides.

An extremely rare gemstone and a fairly modern one to boot. Alexandrite does not share the ancient history and lore of most other gems due to the fact that it was first discovered in the 19th Century. Since the discovery of alexandrite, the gemstone has been thought to bring luck, good fortune and love.

Much like the moon itself, moonstone represents divine feminine energy and rebirth. With many cultures tying it's energy to fertility and romantic prosperity. The Romans and Greeks believed moonstone had lunar properties. They thought that moonstone's powers came from the moon itself and that its iridescent sheen came from beams of moonlight.

Wearability

Pearl is ranked 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which means it's very soft and easily scratched or abraded. I wouldn't really recommend it for a regularly worn ring as something as simple as digging around in your handbag can scratch or even chip the stone; for this reason many brides opt to have pearl inset into their ring to give it some added protection without taking away from the overall look.

Moonstone has two cleavage directions, a trait it shares with the other members of the feldspar family of minerals. Cleavage is a direction of atomic weakness that makes a crystal more prone to breaking. Cleavage can affect durability, so manufacturers usually set moonstone into pendants, earrings, and pins rather than rings, which are more likely to receive knocks and bumps. This doesn't mean you can't put it in your engagement ring though! With proper care, and a suitably protective setting your can happily wear a moonstone ring for decades.

With a hardness of 8.5 on the Mohs scale, alexandrite is softer than sapphire and harder than garnet; this makes it a perfect stone for an engagement ring, remember diamond ranks as a 10 on that same scale. Its lack of cleavage means it's safe to wear daily, including as a sturdy engagement ring. That being said, alexandrite can be scratched by objects that match or exceed its level of hardness.

Designs

- Gráinne