Pearl: The June Birthstone Guide

The June birthstone is the pearl. What makes the June birthstone unique is that it is the only birthstone that is organic, meaning it’s not formed in the Earth over a long period of time, but rather by a living organism: mollusks (“June Birthstone”). Pearls are also traditionally used to celebrate third and 30th wedding anniversaries.

Pearls were discovered accidentally by divers looking for food (“June Birthstone”). A Chinese historian first wrote about them in 2006 BC. They believed pearls came from the brain of a dragon and that by wearing them, you would be protected from fire and fire-breathing dragons (“Pearl Birthstone”).

In the Atharvaveda, an ancient Sanskrit text, pearls were said to provide long life and prosperity. Ancients from the Middle East believed pearls were teardrops from heaven. Some 19th century Arabic doctors believed that pearl powder was able to improve eyesight, depression, and tremors caused by nervousness (“Pearl Birthstone”). In Europe, pearls were considered a symbol of purity, modesty, and innocence. Many cultures associated pearls with the moon (“Fun Facts about Pearls”).

In 1893, Japanese inventor Kokichi Mikimoto figured out a way to grow pearls through a process called “culturing.” By creating a way to grow pearls instantly, Mikimoto made pearls much more affordable and the demand for pearls around the world skyrocketed (“June Birthstone”).

Today there are huge mollusk farms wherever you can find pearl-bearing mollusks. The farmers clean and protect the mollusks from predators and then harvest them for pearls. Thousands of years of pearl fishing have obliterated natural pearl beds, so cultured pearls make up the vast majority of pearls today. The cultured pearl comes in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes (“Pearl Birthstone”). While most people think of pearls as white or cream, black, gray, and silver pearls are also common; and pearls can actually be found in every color (“Fun Facts about Pearls”)!

Pearls are created by mollusks—specifically marine oysters and freshwater mussels. When an irritant, such as a parasite or piece of sand, enters their shell or damages their body, the mollusk slowly secretes layers of aragonite and conchiolin—materials that also make up its shell—as a natural defense. These layers create a material called nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, which encapsulates the irritant and protects the mollusk (“How Do Oysters Make Pearls?”).

For cultured pearls, farmers manually insert an irritant into the mollusk to promote the production of nacre. According to the Natural History Museum, “Nacre can form naturally around almost any irritant that gets inside the shell, creating some very unique and precious pearls” (“How Do Oysters Make Pearls?”).

Natural pearls have been found in the Arabian Gulf for 5,000 years, as well as the Red Sea since 300 BCE. Pearls have also been found in the Strait of Mannar since 2,000 BCE. During Spanish colonial rule in the 16th century, divers recovered large quantities of pearls from the waters off of Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela. But only small quantities of pearls can be found in any of these areas today (“Pearl Birthstone”).

Cultured saltwater pearls are grown in many areas around the world. Akoya cultured pearl farms are mainly found in Japan and China; South Sea cultured pearl farms are found along the northern coast of Australia through Indonesia to the southern coast of Southeast Asia, with large farms found in the Philippines. The famous black Tahitian pearls are farmed in the Gambier Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago, both part of French Polynesia. China is the main source of freshwater cultured pearls (“Pearl Birthstone”).