Pearl – The pearl is unique in the world of gemstones, as it is the only gemstone that is formed within a living creature. Known as the birthstone for the month of June, pearls are truly a treasured gift of the sea and revered for their colors, shapes, sizes and luster. As the supply of naturally occurring pearls became exhausted man learned how to cultivated them by implanting an irritant into oysters, which produced pearls having the same outer appearance as their natural counterpart. Cultured pearls are grown and
harvested in many parts of the world, including the fresh waters of the Tennessee River, and are available in many beautiful colors, from the palest crème and white to rose, lilac, green, gold, gray and the dramatic Tahitian black. The majority, however, come from Japan, China and the South Pacific. Today, the pearls from the Japanese Akoyah oysters are becoming the most prized, as unfavorable biological and environmental conditions have reduced the availability of larger and finer quality pearls from the salt waters of Japan. Human innovation, however, has compensated for natures hardships as man has perfected the cultivation of the larger freshwater oysters in the lakes of China, producing an abundant crop of beautiful cultured pearls ranging from lustrous white to naturally occurring soft pastel colors. To find beautiful pearls in much larger sizes, exceeding nine and ten millimeters in diameter, one must look to warm waters of the South Pacific where magnificent whites from Australia and dramatic natural blacks from Tahiti are harvested to produce one-of-a-kind necklaces or combined with diamonds for truly magnificent pieces of jewelry. In the cultivation process of all pearls man can only begin the process by implanting an irritant within the muscle of the oyster. After that it is up to the mollusk to produce a fine gem, a very poor gem, or something in-between. Similar to the way any gemstone is judged, the value of any pearl will depend on rarity, beauty, size, color, luster and degree of perfection. In the case of a strand of pearls, the quality of how well the pearls are matched is also an important consideration. In the world of pearls there is something for everyone.
Enhancements – Today, cultured and freshwater pearls are often bleached to achieve a uniform color. Sometimes they may be polished in tumblers to achieve better roundness and luster.
Alexandrite – Another of June’s birthstones is the Alexandrite. The stone is named after Prince Alexander of Russia (which is why the “A” in Alexandrite is capitalized), who was to later become Czar Alexander II in 1855). Discovered in 1839 on the day of the prince’s birthday, Alexandrite was found in an emerald mine in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Because it is a relatively recent discovery, there has been little time for myth and superstition to build around this unusual stone. In Russia, the stone was also popular because it reflected the Russian national colors, green and red, and was believed to bring good luck. The Alexandrite possesses an enchanting chameleon-like personality. In daylight, it appears as a beautiful green, sometimes with a bluish cast or with a brownish tint. However, under artificial lighting, the stone turns reddish-violet or violet. Alexandrite belongs to the chrysoberyl family, a mineral called beryllium aluminum oxide in chemistry jargon,
that contains the elements beryllium, aluminum and oxygen. This is a hard mineral, only surpassed in hardness by diamonds and corundum (sapphires and rubies). The unusual colors in Alexandrite are attributed to the presence of chromium in the mineral. Chrysoberyl is found to crystallize in pegmatites (very coarse-grained igneous rock, crystallized from magma) rich in beryllium. They are also found in alluvial deposits, weathered pegmatites containing the gemstones that are carried by rivers and streams. Alexandrite is an uncommon stone, and therefore very expensive. Sri Lanka is the main source of Alexandrite today, and the stones have also been found in Brazil, Malagasy, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Burma. Synthetic Alexandrite, resembling a reddish-hued amethyst with a tinge of green, has been manufactured but the color change seen from natural to artificial lighting cannot be reproduced. Such stones have met with only marginal market success in the United States.