June is the most generous month on the calendar, and the most quietly interesting. It has three birthstones, and they have almost nothing in common: a pearl grown inside a living creature, a moonstone that appears to glow from within, and an alexandrite that changes colour depending on the light you stand in.

What they share is a soft, luminous quality rather than sparkle, which makes June's stones the choice for anyone who prefers understatement. This guide covers how to wear each of them, how to tell a real pearl from a fake, what "cultured" means and why it is not a lesser thing, and how to look after stones this delicate. For every month and stone, see our birthstones by month chart.

Three ways to wear a June birthstone

As a single modern piece. Pearls have shaken off their formality entirely, and the way to wear one now is singly rather than in a matched set: one pearl on a fine gold chain, or a single pearl drop earring. Worn that way a pearl reads contemporary rather than inherited, and it sits perfectly well with jeans. The same is true of a single moonstone, whose blue-white glow does the work without any need for scale.

Set small into something personalised. A tiny pearl or moonstone beside an initial, set into an engraved tag, or as a charm on a bracelet. June's stones are especially good here because their softness is a gentle counterpoint to gold rather than a bold colour statement, and a smaller stone in a protective setting is far more practical for gems this delicate.

Layered, but kept away from rings. Pearls and moonstones layer beautifully with plain gold chains, where their soft sheen breaks up polished metal. What none of June's stones really want is to be a ring worn daily. They are soft, and a hand takes more knocks than a neck ever will.

Styling pearl and moonstone with your everyday gold

Yellow gold is the warmest partner for a pearl and, to our eye, the one that most successfully modernises it. Cream against warm gold is soft and flattering, and it moves a pearl away from the formal, silvery look people associate with their grandmother's jewellery box.

White gold is the cooler, cleaner option and the natural setting for moonstone in particular, because it echoes the stone's blue-white sheen rather than competing with it. If the moonstone you have leans distinctly blue, white gold will make that glow read stronger.

Rose gold is lovely with pearls that carry a pink overtone, which many freshwater pearls do. Hold the pearl against the metal in daylight before you decide, because a pearl's overtone, the faint colour that plays across its surface, is subtle and easy to miss indoors.

Cultured, natural, and how to spot a fake

Essentially every pearl sold today is cultured, and that is not a compromise. A cultured pearl is a real pearl: the mollusc is simply encouraged to begin the process rather than left to chance. Genuinely natural pearls, formed with no human involvement, are so rare that they belong to auction houses and museums. If someone offers you a natural pearl at a normal price, be sceptical.

The distinction that matters far more day to day is real versus imitation, and there is a test you can do in a shop. Rub the pearl gently along the edge of your front tooth. A real pearl, cultured or natural, feels very slightly gritty because nacre is built in microscopic layers. A glass or plastic imitation feels perfectly smooth. It is a peculiar thing to do in public, but it works.

One more, for June's third stone: almost all alexandrite on the market is lab-created, because natural alexandrite is one of the rarest and most expensive gems in existence. Lab-created alexandrite is a real stone with genuine colour change, and it is the only version most people will ever sensibly buy, but the price should reflect which you are getting.

Moonstone's glow, and alexandrite's trick

Moonstone has one of the loveliest optical effects in gemstones, called adularescence: a soft blue-white light that seems to float beneath the surface and move as you tilt the stone. It is caused by light scattering between microscopically thin layers within the stone. The most prized moonstones are near-colourless with a strong blue sheen. At 6 to 6.5 and with a tendency to cleave, moonstone wants a protective setting, much like opal.

Alexandrite does something no other birthstone does: it changes colour. Green or bluish-green in daylight, it turns raspberry red under a lamp or candlelight, and the change is dramatic rather than subtle. It was discovered in Russia's Ural Mountains in the 1830s and named for the future Tsar Alexander II. Fine natural alexandrite now costs more per carat than most diamonds, which is why the lab-created version dominates.

What June's stones mean

Pearl has always stood for purity, wisdom and new beginnings, which is why it is so often given to mark a birth, a christening or a wedding. It is also the stone of the thirtieth wedding anniversary, the pearl anniversary, which makes a pearl piece an unusually easy gift to get right.

Moonstone is tied to intuition, calm and new beginnings too, and was believed by the Romans to be solidified moonlight. Alexandrite, being the newest of the three, carries the gentlest folklore: good fortune, and an ability to adapt, which suits a stone that changes with the light.

Caring for pearls and moonstone

Pearls need more care than any other birthstone, and the rule is simple: last on, first off. Perfume, hairspray, make-up and even ordinary perspiration are mildly acidic and will dull nacre over time. Put your pearls on after you have finished getting ready, and wipe them with a soft cloth when you take them off. Never use an ultrasonic cleaner, and never soak a strung necklace, as it weakens the silk.

If you wear a pearl necklace often, have it restrung every couple of years, and always with knots between the pearls so a broken thread loses one pearl rather than all of them. Moonstone asks for less but is still vulnerable to knocks, so store both away from harder stones, which will scratch them easily.

June birthstone questions

What is the June birthstone?

June has three birthstones: pearl, the traditional choice, moonstone, and alexandrite. Pearl stands for purity and new beginnings, moonstone for intuition and calm, and alexandrite is the rare colour-changing stone added in modern lists.

How do you wear a June birthstone?

Singly and simply. One pearl on a fine gold chain or a single pearl drop earring reads modern rather than formal. June's stones also work beautifully set small beside an initial or on an engraved tag. Because they are soft, they are better as necklaces and earrings than as rings worn daily.

Are cultured pearls real pearls?

Yes. A cultured pearl is grown by a real mollusc in exactly the same way as a natural one; the process is simply started deliberately rather than by chance. Virtually every pearl sold today is cultured, and natural pearls are so rare they are effectively auction pieces.

How can I tell if a pearl is real?

Rub it gently against the edge of your front tooth. A real pearl feels slightly gritty because nacre is built up in microscopic layers, while glass and plastic imitations feel completely smooth. Real pearls also tend to have small irregularities, where fakes are uniformly perfect.

What is moonstone's glow called?

Adularescence. It is a soft blue-white light that appears to float below the surface of the stone and shifts as the stone moves, caused by light scattering between very thin internal layers. The most prized moonstones are near-colourless with a strong blue sheen.

Can you wear pearls every day?

Yes, with care. Pearls are the softest birthstone at 2.5 to 4.5, so put them on last after perfume and hairspray, wipe them with a soft cloth after wearing, and avoid ultrasonic cleaners. Worn as a necklace or earrings rather than a ring, a pearl will last for generations.