Pearl Meaning and Properties: June's Birthstone

No gem has been loved longer than the pearl. It is the only jewel born of a living creature, it needs no cutting to be beautiful, and as June's birthstone it has marked birthdays, weddings and anniversaries for thousands of years. Here is what pearl means, where it comes from, and what makes a fine one.

Born, not made

Pearls are organic gems. A natural pearl forms when a microscopic irritant finds its way inside certain molluscs, and the animal coats it, layer upon layer, with nacre. Cultured pearls follow the same process with a human helping hand: a bead or piece of tissue is deliberately inserted, and the mollusc does the rest over months or years. Either way, the result is the only gem that arrives finished, straight from the water.

The oldest jewel in the case

A Chinese historian wrote about pearls as early as 2206 BC, making them perhaps the best-loved gems of all time. Their value has never really dimmed: in 1917, Pierre Cartier famously traded a double strand of natural pearls for the mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York that remains the Cartier flagship. The modern era of pearls began in 1893, when Kokichi Mikimoto successfully cultured a pearl in Japan and brought them within reach of far more people.

Meaning and lore

Across cultures the pearl has stood for purity, wisdom and calm, its quiet lustre read as serenity rather than sparkle. That is why pearls carry weddings so well: they suggest grace rather than glitter. Ancient Romans prized them as the ultimate status symbol, and in many traditions a pearl's roundness read as the moon made solid. Pearl is the birthstone for June and the gem of the third and thirtieth wedding anniversaries, which makes it one of the most giftable stones in the calendar.

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Saltwater, freshwater and the rise of cultured

Pearls grow wherever the right molluscs live, in both saltwater and freshwater, and the water shapes the harvest: saltwater oysters typically yield one pearl at a time, while freshwater mussels can grow many. Because each pearl records the health of the water it grew in, fine pearl farming is inseparable from clean, thriving ecosystems, a rare case where luxury and sustainability point the same way.

What gives a pearl its glow

Lustre is everything. It comes from light reflecting off the pearl's surface and bouncing between the concentric inner layers of nacre, like light playing across a convex mirror. Fine pearls seem lit from within, with sharp reflections; dull, chalky pearls have thin or poor nacre. Cultured pearls range from about 2 to 16 millimetres depending on the mollusc, and while the classic colour is white or cream, the palette runs through pink, lavender, yellow, grey and dramatic black.

A gem to treat gently

Pearls are soft: 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale, softer than almost any other popular gem. Perfume, hairspray and cosmetics dull their surface, so put pearls on last and take them off first. Wipe them with a soft damp cloth after wearing, never soak them, and store them apart from harder stones. In return, a strand can last generations. Many families have one to prove it, passed down with the clasp worn smooth by decades of anniversaries.

Find your pearls with Shewah

Shewah designs pearl and birthstone pieces in solid gold, made to order in Surat and shipped to the US, UK and Australia. Explore Shewah's jewellery or message us on WhatsApp at +91 96622 66360 to choose a piece with real lustre.

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Sources

• Pearl Gemstone - GIA