June Birthstone – Pearl – Each month of the year is represented by its own special gemstone. Pearl is associated with June. The pearl has long been associated with love, innocence, purity, and femininity. They suggest chastity, modesty, and stable marriage relationships.
Appropriately, the name “pearl” comes from the Old French perle, from the Latin perna meaning “leg,” referencing the leg-of-mutton shape of an open mollusk shell that they are formed in.
Ancient Japanese legends told stories of mermaids and nymphs crying tears of pearls. When the Greek god Aphrodite, the goddess of love wept, she shed hardened tears of joy – pearls. Even the moon allegedly shed tears of well know as “teardrops of the moon”
The rarest and most expensive pearls are natural pearls made in the wild, without human interference. The majority of pearls sold today are cultured or farmed by implanting a grafted piece of shell (and sometimes a round bead) into pearl oysters or freshwater pearl mussels.
Colour
Authentic pearls exist in two forms—natural pearls, found in the sea, and freshwater pearls, found in rivers. While the most desirable pearls are perfectly round white or cream, pearls are also black, pink, grey, blue, and gold.
The finest pearls have a naturally reflective lustre, making them appear creamy white with an iridescent sheen that casts many colourful hues.
Cultured freshwater pearls can also be dyed yellow, green, blue, brown, pink, purple or black.
Black pearls, which are mostly cultured because they are so rare in nature—aren’t actually black but rather green, purple, blue or silver.
Unique Properties
Pearls are unique among gemstones as they are the creation of a living creature, the mollusc.
Molluscs produce pearls by depositing layers of calcium carbonate around microscopic irritants that get lodged in their shells. While any shelled mollusc can technically make a pearl, only two groups of bivalve molluscs (or clams) use mother-of-pearl to create the iridescent “nacreous” pearls that are valued in jewellery. These rare gemstones don’t require any polishing to reveal their natural lustre.
Pearls are very soft, ranging between 2.5 and 4.5 on the Mohs scale. They are sensitive to extreme heat and acidity; in fact, calcium carbonate is so susceptible to acid that authentic pearls will dissolve in vinegar.
Spiritual Meaning
Pearls are worn to calm a restless mind and to control anger. It is believed that people who wear pearls can succeed in creative work and it is also linked with a successful married life.
Pearls also bring out the personality traits of dignity, wisdom, calmness, integrity, and charity.
Healing Properties of the June Birthstone
It is thought that Pearls are held to treat digestive disorders and the soft organs of the body, as well as improve the skin. They relieve conditions of bloating and biliousness. Pearls also increase fertility and ease childbirth.
Other healing properties of the pearl include calming stress, alleviating headaches, hypertension, and exhaustion, and preventing heart attacks.
How to cleanse your birthstone
Equally important is to cleanse your birthstone regularly since the gemstone absorbs the negative energy from your body and your surroundings. Once a day by holding it under running lukewarm water for a short period of time will help this process. You could also visualise a white or golden light surrounding your gemstone and clear away any negativity, as you rinse the birthstone. Do this regularly – every morning or every evening – especially if you wear your jewellery on a regular basis. To charge the gemstone a little extra, leave it in the direct moonlight during the full moon.
No matter if it’s your birthstone or not, anyone can wear the June birthstone to heal themselves and to bring in some good luck into their lives.
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