The freshwater pearl gets formed in the freshwater mussel which live in lakes, rivers and other freshwater areas. Freshwater pearls completely consist of mother of pearl. Countries like China, Japan and America cultivate pearls; natural pearls can heardly be found today. There are many different shapes and sizes of the freshwater pearl, more than any other pearl. The freshwater pearl comes in white and other pastel colors like purple, salmon or pink. This classy gemstone is timeless and an incredible gift from nature.
Pearl is unique among other gemstones for it has an organic origin which is known to come from under the sea world. It is created inside a shell particularly a clam or an oyster or can be normally found in a mollusk.
This particular gemstone brings various meanings to people. For instance, in India, they make use of pearl to encrust their sword, to symbolize the tears and sorrow that it can bring to people’s lives. As for other countries such as China, Europe, and countries in the Middle East and North Africa, they used it as a form of medicine for they believe that it can cure various kinds of illness and diseases such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis and more.
| Category | Carbonate (Protein) |
| Chemical Formula | CaCO3 |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Color | white, pink, silver, cream, brown, green, blue, black, yellow, orange, gold, purple, or iridescent |
| Hardness | 2.5 to 4.5 |
| Luster | Variety dependent on growing conditions and oyster |
| Streak | White |
| Specific gravity | 2.6 to 2.85 |
Alexandrite is also the birthstone of June.
It can be compared to a chameleon since it has the ability to change color depending on the light that reflects on it. If placed under a natural daylight, its color turns into green, sometimes blue cast, other times brownish tint. However, when positioned under an artificial light, it turns to reddish-violet or just violet.
Apart from being known as a birthstone, it is also the gemstone for couples celebrating their 55th year wedding anniversary as it is a symbolic gift of love. Alexandrite had also been known to be a rare stone.
The name Alexandrite was derived after the name of Czar Alexander II, who was a prince in Russia, in the year 1855. Although the name was given in 1855, the stone was discovered 16 years earlier, which was in 1839 in an emerald mine located in Ural Mountains of Russia.
It is a gemstone that symbolizes luck, love, and good fortune. It is known to bring good things to people; stronger love and affection for couples so they could stay longer in love with each other. Also, it strengthens the imagination, creativity, and intuition of a person. It brings hope and joy to people, to make them stronger in their life come hell or high water. Its ability to change colors tells people that a person’s life can go differently; they just need to believe in themselves.
