• The month of June that includes the zodiac signs of Gemini and Cancer has an assortment of 12 stones listed as birthstones.
• The birthstones marked for June are pearl, moonstone, alexandrite, agate, chalcedony, and emerald.
• The zodiac signs add on six more birthstones: chrysoprase, tiger's eye, white sapphire, ruby, sapphire, and citrine.

Moonstone is a feminine stone and gets its name because of its resemblance to the iridescent sheen of the moon. Shimmering as if lit from within, it truly seems to be a piece of the moon, capturing its cool, pure glow. It is a lustrous and glowing gemstone.

Moonstone is a semi-precious gem, and can be composed of either adularia or oligoclase. Both are part of the class of minerals known as feldspar - the minerals that make up 60% of the Earth's crust. In either case, the moonstone must be clear, with a milky white or blue sheen, and will usually include other colors. When light reaches these crystalline layers, it scatters, producing the characteristic glow and play of colors. This effect, known as "shiller" or "schiller," can only be fully appreciated once the gemstone has been cut and polished. Moonstones are generally clear or whitish, with hints of blue, black, green, yellow, pink, grey, orange, red, or brown and a white or blue shiller.

Moonstones were originally mined in Sri Lanka, and these are still the finest moonstones available, with remarkable clarity and a blue sheen. The gems have also been found in Brazil, the European Alps, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Tanzania, and the United States.

• Moonstones have been revered in many cultures. Their moonlike glow has led to connections with the moon and all that it stands for – peace, femininity, and the emotions. Moonstone is sometimes called "selenite" after the Greek "selene" meaning moon.
• In India, it is considered to be a talisman of good fortune and is still revered as a sacred stone.
• In ancient Greece they were thought to be droplets of moonlit dew hardened on the ground.
• In the Middle Ages, moonstone was believed to be connected with the planets Neptune and Venus, and was prized for its esoteric and healing powers.
• The moonstone's real peak of popularity was over a century ago. The masters of Art Nouveau prized the glowing gemstone, and it can be found in museums and jewelry collections of that period.
• Romans thought that this gemstone was formed by the light of the moon.
• It was believed that it allowed seeing the future when held in the mouth.
• It was also thought to ensure abundant crops to the farmers.
• In ancient times it was believed that it could make a person invisible.
• In India, this gemstone is also regarded as 'dreamstone' said to bring beautiful dreams to the wearer.

• It is given to commemorate the 13th wedding anniversary.
• Moonstone is known as the traveler's stone, protecting those that journey, and is said to improve intuition.
• Arab women often wear moonstone hidden or sewn inside their clothing to bring them fertility.
• Moonstones are said to bring good luck and are traditionally gifted to brides as symbol of everlasting love, passion and fertility. Moonstones are considered to bring harmony of emotions and reduce stress.
• It is also known as 'lover's stone' known for evoking feelings of true love.
• It is used for balancing the yin and yang energies and for protecting women and children.
• This gemstone is known for curing digestion problems, epilepsy, headaches, nosebleeds and is also effective against sunstroke.

Pearl is known as the alternate birthstone for the month of June. Long referred to as the Queen of Gems, pearls have been known and revered since ancient times. Today, we think of pearls as modestly expensive, lovely adornments, but before the exploration of the Americas pearls were among the costliest of gems. They are the buildup of a natural protective substance in a shellfish – the oyster. Their rarity and the difficulty of diving for pearls made them among the most expensive and highly prized of all gems. It's said that a Tsar of Russia built an entire army on the sale of just one of his mother's pearl earrings. And when Cleopatra wanted to impress Mark Anthony with the wealth of her kingdom, she served him the most expensive dinner of all time – a single ground pearl dissolved in wine. In Indian lore, pearls are drops of dew that fall from the night sky beneath a full moon and are swallowed by oysters. Other traditions call them the tears of heaven, and Indian warriors often adorned their shields with pearls to represent the tears that their swords would cause in war. Thus, pearls are seen as the gem of perfect and pure love – round, lustrous and white. There is a long standing tradition that a bride wears a strand of pearls on her wedding day – often one handed down through the generations from mother to daughter. The Star of Asia (sometimes called the Pearl of Asia) is a teardrop shaped pearl weighing nearly 14 pounds. It was taken by the King of Persia who presented it as a gift to the Chinese emperor, with whom it was buried. The pearl was stolen by grave robbers, and its trail is muddied but it eventually landed in the hands of a collector who now allows its display.