JUNE BIRTHSTONE : Alexandrite & Moonstone

Having more than one birthstone, Alexandrite & Moonstone, June's birthstones are as unique as it comes. Extremely rare and having "colour-changing" abilities, the Alexandrite is green in daylight and changes to a purple-red hue in incandescent or artificial light.

June birthstone, alexandrite was discovered in Russian emerald mines in more modern times, around 1834. Legend suggests that its discovery fell on the same day that the future Russian Czar Alexander II came of age, which makes sense, given the stone's name.

It was first mistook for emerald because of its green colour until the stone was held in a different light source and changed to a purplish red, earning the reputation as "Emerald by day, Ruby by night" and the honour of Imperial Russia's official gemstone (Russia's national colours are green and red).

Alexandrite is a rare stone, and is that explains why it’s very expensive. It is mainly found in Sri Lanka, and has also been found in Myanmar, Tanzania, Brazil, Zimbabwe and Madagascar. Synthetic alexandrite has been manufactured but its qualities are not similar to that of the natural Alexandrite, especially the color changes.

June's third birthstone, moonstone, was named by the Roman natural historian Pliny for just that: its shimmery, milky appearance resembling the different phases of the moon. Ancient civilizations believed that the stone was directly connected to the natural rhythms of the moon, which helps explain why much of its magic ties to lunar mysteries and treating night-time ailments. The moonstone is purported to treat insomnia and sleepwalking, ward off nightmares, and encourage vivid dreams.

In colours ranging from colourless to gray, brown, yellow, green, or pink and clarity that goes from transparent to translucent. The best Moonstone has a blue sheen, perfect clarity, and a colourless body colour. Found in India and Madagascar, rainbow Moonstone has a variety of colours, from pink to yellow, to peach, purple, and blue.