June · White, cream and colour-shifting

June birthstone: Pearl

June carries 3 official stones — Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite.

Modern birthstone Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite
Traditional birthstone Pearl
Colour White, cream and colour-shifting
Birth flower Rose and Honeysuckle
Zodiac signs Gemini, Cancer
Hardness (Mohs) 2.5–4.5

June carries three official stones — more than any other month. Pearl is the ancient choice, moonstone the affordable one, 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 aluminium 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 aluminium oxide (BeAl₂O₄) — chrysoberyl coloured by chromium
Hardness · Crystal system 8.5 · Orthorhombic
Mined in Russia (Ural), Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania

Genuine colour-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 colour-change corundum. Genuine alexandrite shifts green to red; the imitations shift blue-violet to purple, which is a different change entirely.

June birth flowers

Rose

Traditionally signifies love, in a shade-specific dialect.

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?

Pearl, Moonstone, Alexandrite in the modern list.

What colour is the June birthstone?

White, cream and colour-shifting.

What is the June birth flower?

Rose and Honeysuckle — signifying love, in a shade-specific dialect.

Is it hard enough to wear every day?

Pearl sits at 2.5–4.5 on the Mohs scale. Too soft for a ring worn daily — better in a pendant or earrings.

Other months

January February March April May July August September October November December