Alexandrite and Moonstone: June's Other Birthstones

While pearl is the primary birthstone of June,  moonstone is also included as one of the contemporary birthstones for June, while alexandrite is June's traditional birthstone.

Moonstones are a member of the feldspar family of stones. It has a beautiful iridescence and occasionally displays a star effect.  Moonstone was a popular stone in late-Victorian jewelry and again in the Art & Crafts jewelry. Today's studio jewelers use moonstone in many of their modernistic pieces because of its lovely and lively opalescence.

Alexandrite is a classical stone, discovered in Russia around 1830. These early Russian stones are the most prized because they have a strong color change from grass green in daylight to a rich red in artificial light. While alexandrites from other locations  display this same color change phenomena, they do not swing across the color spectrum as much as the Russian specimens do.