If you were born in June, then pearls are your traditional birthstone. Pearls are also used to commemorate the 3rd and 30th wedding anniversaries. Pearls have been known from antiquity, Their popularity was so great that a whole market in ancient Rome was called the "portus margharita", or the pearl market place.
While
there are many types of pearls, and they can be found the world over, there
are six types that stand out for quality: Akoya, Tahitian, South Sea, Chinese
freshwater, keshi and mabe. When purchasing maybe pearls, be carefull that it
is actually a pearl, instead of maybe shell. Maybe shell is virtually indistinguishable,
but is mother-of-pearl rather than actual pearl.
Pearls are not minerals but organics. Pearls have a hardness of 2.5 - 4 and a specific gravity of 2.66 - 2.78. Most pearls come from China, Japan and the South Seas.