June’s Gemstone Dilemma: History, Astrology, and Personal Choice

In 1912, the American National Retail Jewelers Association, during a conference in Kansas, approved a list of birthstones for each month. June was assigned pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone.

But what was it before that? According to George Kunz (America’s first gemologist and Tiffany’s vice president), whose research was published in 1893, the traditional stones for June in various cultures were either agate and chalcedony or emerald. An intriguing trend emerges: in cultures where emerald was the stone of June (Jewish, Roman, Spanish, Italian), agate was associated with May. Meanwhile, in those where emerald was May’s stone (Arab, Polish, Russian traditions), agate and chalcedony were linked to June. It’s as if, at some point, someone swapped May and June by mistake.

Interestingly, in the earliest Bible translations, the breastplate of Aaron (believed to have inspired the tradition of linking stones with months) assigned emerald to June.

According to Indian astrology (Jyotish), June is split between Taurus and Gemini. Taurus is Venus’s sign, while Gemini belongs to Mercury. In this tradition, emerald is Mercury’s stone, which makes sense since emerald’s properties (and other beryls) align with Mercury’s spheres of influence: clarity and quickness of mind, diplomacy, adaptability, wealth, and more. The connection between June and emerald seems plausible. However, Jyotish does not require wearing a stone associated with the Sun’s zodiac sign at birth. Simply put, if your natal Sun is in Gemini, wearing emerald isn’t necessarily beneficial for you.

In Western astrology, most of June falls under Gemini. Yet in this tradition, Mercury’s stones were typically yellow gems and opals.

As we can see, there’s no strong astrological connection between June and its assigned stones. However, the biblical roots are quite evident.

The question remains: what should we consider June’s stones? Emerald, agate, or chalcedony, as it was for centuries? Or pearl, alexandrite, and moonstone, which were assigned to June by American jewelers without any real basis? The only true answer is this: the stone that resonates with you and evokes emotion is the one for you.

Olga Bachurina,
Co-Founder of Venus in Libra,
Certified by GIA & Gübelin Academy