06.08.15 More June jewels

June has two other birthstones, alexandrite and moonstone.

Alexandrite - a member of the chrysoberyl mineral family - which was discovered in Russia in 1831, during the reign of Czar Alexander II, and named for him.

Natural alexandrite is extremely rare, and prized for its color change properties. Depending on the lighting, it can appear red, green or blue.  The only piece of natural alexandrite I have is very small, in my mother's heart pendant.

I would love add to my collection, but with a price of $5,000 per carat for a strong color change and the difficulty of finding jewelry with natural stones (there are lots of created alexandrites on the market) this is probably it for me.

Photo credit metalicious.com

The third June birthstone is moonstone.  Moonstone, a member of the feldspar mineral family, is much more affordable than either real pearls or natural alexandrite.  I love the iridescence of moonstone,  and I have a number of pieces made with it in my jewelry box.

My favorite piece of moonstone jewelry, was a Mother's Day gift from my husband many, many years ago when all the kiddos were little.  It is a silver pin from Sundance, with a mom, dad and three children - all of whom have moonstone faces.

I also love this pair of cascade earrings, with moonstone drops and blue calchedony rondelles. The facets give the moonstones extra sparkle and iridescence, and the purple in the rondelles is kind of an homage to the bluish-purple found in alexandrite.

So if you, or someone you love, has a June birthday - you have lots of options...enjoy them all.


Until next time.