2027 Forecast

June · White, cream and color-shifting

June birthstone: Pearl

The June birthstones are Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite — the month carries 3 official modern stones, which is why sources disagree about it. The traditional list keeps only Pearl; Moonstone and Alexandrite were added later.

1912 jewelers’ list
Pearl or moonstone · Kansas City
Older lists
Emerald / agate · 4 of 8 a tie in Kunz’s tally of 8 old lists
June births
8.30% #8 of 12 months, US 2000–2014

Kunz 1913; US births 2000–2014.

The months either side, and the same month in flowers: May birthstone, July birthstone and June birth flower.

All twelve months, modern and traditional lists in one table: birthstones by month.

June Birthstones: Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite
Modern birthstone Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite
Traditional birthstone Pearl
Color White, cream and color-shifting
Birth flower Rose and Honeysuckle
Zodiac signs Gemini, Cancer
Hardness (Mohs) 2.5–4.5

June carries three official stones — a number only August and December match. Pearl came in with the American list of 1912 — in the older lists George Kunz compared, June went to emerald or agate and pearl appeared only once — moonstone is the affordable choice, and alexandrite so rare that most June babies will never own a natural example.

June stones in detail

Pearl

Composition Calcium carbonate (aragonite) in a matrix of conchiolin
Hardness · Crystal system 2.5–4.5 · Orthorhombic (aragonite)
Mined in Japan, China, Australia, French Polynesia, Philippines

Soft enough to scratch with a fingernail and dissolved by acid — perfume, vinegar and sweat all damage it.

Traditionally associated with sincerity, emotional maturity and quiet dignity.

Care. Wipe with a damp cloth after wearing. Put pearls on last, after perfume and hairspray, and never soak them.

Spotting a fake. The tooth test still works: rub the pearl gently against a tooth edge. Real nacre feels gritty; plastic and glass feel glassy-smooth.

Moonstone

Composition Potassium aluminum silicate (KAlSi₃O₈) — feldspar
Hardness · Crystal system 6–6.5 · Monoclinic
Mined in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Myanmar

The floating blue glow is adularescence — light scattering between microscopic layers of two feldspars, not an inclusion or a coating.

Traditionally linked to intuition, cycles and new beginnings.

Care. Soapy water and a soft cloth. Never ultrasonic — feldspar cleaves easily and vibration can split it.

Spotting a fake. Opalite and milky glass are the usual substitutes. Real moonstone shows adularescence that moves as you tilt it; glass shows a static sheen that stays put.

Alexandrite

Composition Beryllium aluminum oxide (BeAl₂O₄) — chrysoberyl colored by chromium
Hardness · Crystal system 8.5 · Orthorhombic
Mined in Russia (Ural), Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania

Genuine color-change alexandrite is rarer than diamond. Most stones sold under the name are synthetic corundum.

Traditionally associated with adaptability and holding two truths at once.

Care. Warm soapy water. Hard enough at 8.5 to be safe in most settings.

Spotting a fake. Almost everything sold as alexandrite is synthetic color-change corundum. Genuine alexandrite shifts green to red; the imitations shift blue-violet to purple, which is a different change entirely.

The story of the June stones

Until cultured pearls were perfected in Japan in the early twentieth century — Mikimoto made them famous using the round-pearl method of Mise and Nishikawa — a fine natural pearl was worth more than most diamonds, and necklaces of them were traded like property. Moonstone has been the June alternative since the American list of 1912. Alexandrite was found in the emerald mines of the Ural Mountains in the 1830s and named after the heir who became Tsar Alexander II; its green-by-day, red-by-lamplight colors matched the Russian imperial colors.

Choosing a June stone

For pearls, luster matters more than size: a sharp, mirror-like reflection on the surface is the sign of thick nacre. Freshwater pearls are the budget choice; Akoya, Tahitian and South Sea pearls rise in price roughly in that order. Moonstone, with its floating blue sheen, is inexpensive, while natural alexandrite with a strong color change is one of the costliest gems — lab-grown alexandrite is the realistic option for most buyers.

Primary source

June in George Kunz’s Curious Lore of Precious Stones (1913)

The verse for June
“Who comes with summer to this earth, And owes to June her hour of birth, With ring of agate on her hand Can health, long life, and wealth command.”
Kunz on the 1912 list
“For October neither the tourmaline nor the opal is as appropriate as the beryl, while for June we should prefer the asteria to the moonstone as a substitute for the pearl.”
George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott, 1913), chapter IX, “Birth-Stones” — read the original text. Kunz’s traditional stone for June is agate, and the jewelers’ list adopted in Kansas City in 1912 gives pearl (alternative: moonstone). In his tally of eight older lists, June went to emerald in 4 of them, agate in 4, chalcedony in 3, turquoise in 1, pearl in 1, cat’s-eye in 1 — some lists give a month two stones. Which lists Kunz compared, and where the verses come from →

June birth flowers

Rose

Traditionally signifies love, with each color carrying its own shade of meaning.

Honeysuckle

Traditionally signifies devoted affection.

More on June birth flowers →

If you go by zodiac sign instead

June spans two signs — Gemini and Cancer — and the zodiac stone list does not match the monthly one. Which applies to you depends on the day, not just the month.

Gemini stones · Cancer stones

Questions about the June birthstone

What is the birthstone for June?

The modern June birthstones are Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite.

What color is the June birthstone?

White, cream and color-shifting.

What is the June birth flower?

Rose and Honeysuckle; the rose traditionally signifies love, with each color carrying its own shade of meaning.

Is Pearl hard enough to wear every day?

Pearl rates 2.5–4.5 on the Mohs scale. It is better in a pendant or earrings than in a ring worn daily, because of perfume, hairspray and sweat, which etch the nacre.

What zodiac signs fall in June?

Gemini and Cancer.

Other months

January February March April May July August September October November December

Measured against our reference of 43 stones

The June stones, by hardness

Pearl · modern and traditional Mohs 2.5–4.5 · -2.85 vs average · not for rings
Moonstone · modern and alternative Mohs 6–6.5 · -0.1 vs average · wear with care
Alexandrite · modern Mohs 8.5 · +2.15 vs average · everyday ring
Average across all 43 stones Mohs 6.35
Modern and traditional Pearl in both
June birthstones on the Mohs hardness scale
June birthstones on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10) with the June birthstones marked: Pearl 2.5–4.5, Moonstone 6–6.5, Alexandrite 8.5.Pearl: Mohs 2.5–4.5Pearl 2.5–4.5Moonstone: Mohs 6–6.5Moonstone 6–6.5Alexandrite: Mohs 8.5Alexandrite 8.5Garnet: Mohs 6.5–7.5Amethyst: Mohs 7Citrine: Mohs 7Rose Quartz: Mohs 7Clear Quartz: Mohs 7Smoky Quartz: Mohs 7Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Emerald: Mohs 7.5–8Bloodstone: Mohs 6.5–7Peridot: Mohs 6.5–7Sardonyx: Mohs 6.5–7Zircon: Mohs 6–7.5Carnelian: Mohs 6.5–7Onyx: Mohs 6.5–7Agate: Mohs 6.5–7Tiger's Eye: Mohs 6.5–7Aventurine: Mohs 6.5–7Diamond: Mohs 10Pearl: Mohs 2.5–4.5Alexandrite: Mohs 8.5Moonstone: Mohs 6–6.5Labradorite: Mohs 6–6.5Pyrite: Mohs 6–6.5Ruby: Mohs 9Sapphire: Mohs 9Spinel: Mohs 8Topaz: Mohs 8Opal: Mohs 5.5–6.5Rhodonite: Mohs 5.5–6.5Tourmaline: Mohs 7–7.5Turquoise: Mohs 5–6Lapis Lazuli: Mohs 5–6Hematite: Mohs 5–6Tanzanite: Mohs 6–7Jade: Mohs 6–7Obsidian: Mohs 5–5.5Malachite: Mohs 3.5–4Amber: Mohs 2–2.5Selenite: Mohs 2Fluorite: Mohs 4Sodalite: Mohs 5.5–6Kyanite: Mohs 4.5–7Lepidolite: Mohs 2.5–31Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5window glass 5.5household dust (quartz) 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com
June birthstones on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10) with the June birthstones marked: Pearl 2.5–4.5, Moonstone 6–6.5, Alexandrite 8.5.Pearl: Mohs 2.5–4.5Pearl 2.5–4.5Moonstone: Mohs 6–6.5Moonstone 6–6.5Alexandrite: Mohs 8.5Alexandrite 8.51Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5glass 5.5dust 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com

June on the scale: Pearl 2.5–4.5, Moonstone 6–6.5, Alexandrite 8.5. Of the twelve months’ first-listed modern stones, Pearl is the softest.

Pearl: Calcium carbonate (aragonite) in a matrix of conchiolin. Crystal system Orthorhombic (aragonite). Below Mohs 7 it is scratched by ordinary airborne dust — quartz sits at 7.

Who this month covers

Days in June 30
Gemini · June 1–20 66.4% of June births
Cancer · June 21–30 33.6% of June births

Gemini takes the larger part of June, 20 days against 10 for Cancer, which in US births for 2000–2014 came to 66.4% of the month. Exact sign dates →

Sources

  1. George Frederick Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones (Philadelphia and London: J. B. Lippincott, 1913), chapter IX, “Birth-Stones”

Statements of fact on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. How we choose and check sources: editorial policy.

Cite this page

AstroHot. “June Birthstones: Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite.” Accessed October 29, 2026. https://astrohot.com/birthstones/by-month/june/

For Wikipedia {{cite web |title=June Birthstones: Pearl, Moonstone and Alexandrite |url=https://astrohot.com/birthstones/by-month/june/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-29}}