June’s Birthstone: The Ethereal Pearl
written for SWCreations by Stephanie Dray

Pearl is June’s birthstone, lending its ethereal beauty to the traditional month for weddings. Since ancient times, when the month was dedicated to the Roman Goddess of marriage, it has been considered good luck to take marriage vows beneath June’s sunny skies. Even today, one cannot imagine June without conjuring images of brides in lace and, of course, pearls.

Pearls glow with an iridescent luster and represent both purity of heart and mystery of spirit. Purity for its spiritual iridescence, mystery because the ancients didn’t know where pearls came from. The Greeks hypothesized that pearls were the hardened teardrops of Aphrodite, born of the sea. The Chinese suspected that pearls were petrified dragon brains. Arabs believed that pearls were solidified moonlight.

The actual explanation for the formation of pearls is just as fanciful. Unlike gemstones which are embedded in the earth through geological processes, June’s birthstone is the product of biology. To be precise, pearls are created by mollusks when an irritant is trapped inside its shell.

Much like humans develop hard layers of skin called calluses to protect us from irritation, pearl oysters coat the invading particle with a layer of nacrea hard smooth substance. Over time, layer upon layer of nacre covers the irritant the more layers, the more lustrous the pearl.

Round pearls are the most famous, but June’s birthstone comes in a variety of shapes. Beyond a simple strand of pearls, pearl beaded jewelry is very popular with brides. So-called ‘coin’ pearl beaded jewelry is made with flattened disk shape pearls. There are also irregularly shaped pearl beads known as ‘nugget pearls’ and even long ‘stick’ shaped pearls that make more natural beaded jewelry.

Though elegant bridal white is the color most frequently associated with June’s birthstone, pearls also come in pink, yellow, grey and black. Natural black pearls are the most valuable because of their rarity. Pearls are also valued by their shape perfectly round ones being the most expensive.

Though beautiful, genuine pearl birthstone jewelry requires more care than other gemstones. Pearls can lose their iridescent luster if left in a dry environment, so it is recommended that you wear your pearl birthstone jewelry often to keep it moist with your own skin oil. On the other hand, you should avoid showering or otherwise soaking pearl jewelry in water.

Softer than other gemstones, pearls can be chipped and scratched or otherwise ruined if not treated delicately. In fact, one of the most famous stories about pearls centers on its destruction.

They say Cleopatra of Egypt once wagered Marc Antony that she could hold the most expensive banquet in history. To make good on her bet, she took one of her pearl earrings one of the largest pearls in the known world and dropped it into a cup of vinegar. When the pearl dissolved, she drank it as wine. He was apparently so impressed that he forsook his wife and took Cleopatra as a lover.

This story about Cleopatra was perhaps propaganda invented by her enemies to destroy her reputation. After all, with June’s birthstone representing purity and marriage, what could it say about Cleopatra that she was willing to destroy such a valuable pearl for Antony? True or not, the story painted Cleopatra as an ancient home wrecker which goes to show you the important symbolism and mysterious power of June’s birthstone the ethereal pearl.

Links:

Wikipedia on Pearls

International Colored Gemstone Organization

Pink Pearl Crystal Beaded Watch created with pale pink freshwater pearls, opal Swarovski Austrian crystals, tiny pale pink seed beads, Bali .925 silver, sterling silver, and a pink Quartz Geneva watch face.
W07 – $63.00 Watch Length 7.5 Inch

Lavender Butterfly Floral Crystal Earrings created with light amethyst Swarovski Austrian crystal butterflies, lavender Czech floral beads, fuchsia Swarovski Austrian crystals, light satin brushed sterling silver beads, and sterling silver.
ERGW30 -  1.5″

‘Bonbonniere’ Fuchsia Lampwok Swirls Bracelet created with imported lavender, fushsia, and pink swirls floral stripes lampwork glass beads, fuchsia Swarovski Austrian crystals, Bali .925 silver, Turkish .950 silver, and sterling silver.
‘Bonbonniere’ Sweet Candy Dish
G10 – $76.00 Bracelet Length 7¾”

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Pink Lady Fuchsia Pearl Silver Beaded Bracelet created with rose pink freshwater pearls, fuchsia Swarovski Austrian crystals, Bali .925 silver, and sterling silver.
G117 – $49.00 Bracelet Length 7¾ – 7¼”

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October’s Birthstone: Spooky Tales of Pink Tourmaline
Opals and Pink Tourmaline
written for SWCreations by Stephanie Dray

There are two October birthstones: opals and pink tourmaline. But while opals are more famous and certainly have their charm, pink tourmaline’s spooky qualities make it the perfect birthstone for the month in which we revel in ghost stories and the supernatural.

You see, pink tourmaline shares a unique quality with all tourmaline gemstones—it’s pyroelectric and piezoelectric. That means that when heated or put under pressure, tourmaline gemstones take on an electric charge and can actually pull things towards them. If you vigorously rub and warm up your pink tourmaline birthstone jewelry, it can “magically” attract nearby bits of paper and dust. It might even make the hairs on your arm stand on end!

But spooky action at a distance isn’t the only haunting quality of this October birthstone. Tourmaline jewelry can also appear to be different colors when viewed from different angles. The scientific explanation for this is pleochroism, an optical phenomenon in which light wavelengths are absorbed and bent in different degrees as they pass through the crystal. The mundane result, however, is that a set of birthstone jewelry is mystical and ever changing. Is it any wonder that tourmaline gemstones have been considered magical since ancient times?

Amongst gemstones, tourmaline is available in the widest variety of colors. The Egyptians even told a tale that tourmaline passed over a rainbow on its journey to earth and called it the gemstone of the rainbow.

There are even varieties of color in pink tourmaline itself. One of the most popular varieties is called “watermelon tourmaline.” Watermelon tourmaline is green on the outside, giving way to a slight white rind, and then a brilliant pink or red interior. When October’s birthstone displays three colors, as it does with watermelon tourmaline, it’s known as multicolored tourmaline. If it displays only two colors, then it’s known as bicolored tourmaline.

Because tourmaline gemstones come in every color under the sun, special names have been invented to distinguish them. For example, blue tourmaline is known as indigolite and green tourmaline is known as verdelite, so when shopping for your October Birthstone, keep in mind that pink tourmaline also has another name: rubellite. (For jewelers and gemstone enthusiasts, a true rubellite is a variety that does not change colors depending on the light source or viewing angle, but pink tourmaline might be sold as rubellite anyway.)

Tourmaline is the official mineral of Maine. It’s quarried there and in a variety of other locations all around the world, so October’s birthstone is available in almost all price ranges. It can even be irradiated to give it a more intense color.

Tourmaline ranges between 7-7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale; that makes it ideal for birthstone jewelry, which must both be durable and wear well. (October’s other birthstone, opal, is not as hard as tourmaline, and can become brittle and break easily. Also, whereas pink tourmaline can be faceted for more traditional jewelry settings, opals are best polished and smooth.)

Remember too that if transparent rubellite or multicolored watermelon tourmaline is not your style, you can even find October’s birthstone in a cat’s eye pattern. And if that’s not perfect for the month that celebrates Halloween, what is?