June Birthstones

June has three stones on the modern list, pearl, alexandrite and moonstone, and two on the traditional list, pearl and moonstone.

The two lists for June

• Modern list (American Gem Society): Pearl, Alexandrite, Moonstone

• Traditional list (United Kingdom, National Association of Goldsmiths, 1937): Pearl, Moonstone

There is no single official birthstone list, so you are free to choose whichever you prefer. You can check any month with our birthstone finder.

About the stones

Pearl

A pearl forms inside a mollusc, which lays down layers of nacre, made largely of calcium carbonate, around an irritant. It is soft, at about 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale, and is damaged by acids, perfume, hairspray and dryness. Natural pearls were long gathered from places such as the Persian Gulf, and cultured pearls, in which a bead is placed in the mollusc by people, were developed in Japan around the turn of the twentieth century and are now the norm.

Alexandrite

Alexandrite is a rare variety of chrysoberyl that looks green in daylight and reddish under incandescent light, with a hardness of 8.5. It is named for Tsar Alexander II after its discovery in the Ural Mountains in the 1830s, and later deposits were found in Brazil and Sri Lanka. Much of the alexandrite sold today is laboratory-grown.

Moonstone

Moonstone is a feldspar with a soft, floating sheen called adularescence, with a hardness of 6 to 6.5. See the moonstone guide.

How the idea developed

June is the month where the modern list grew most visibly: alexandrite was added to the original pearl and moonstone group. The idea is that the list can change as new stones become popular, and, as the finder notes, the modern American list has been extended several times since 1912. The 1937 United Kingdom list kept the older pair.

For the wider history of the idea, see our birthstones overview. The modern list follows the American Gem Society, and the traditional list follows the 1937 United Kingdom list, both summarised in Wikipedia, Birthstone.

A different system

Vedic gemstone (ratna) guidance is a different system from birthstones. It is tied to the nine planets and to a birth chart, not to the calendar month, and it belongs to the Vedic tradition, which is covered on our sister site, Nidarshana Vedh. Nothing on this page is Vedic advice.

A note on health. Crystals are valued for beauty, meaning and ritual. There is no scientific evidence that they treat health conditions. If you are struggling with your health or mood, please speak to a doctor.

Frequently asked questions