Smart Alex-andrites

The birthstone for June born babies is the alexandrite, moonstone or pearl. These three are all acceptable if you are into that thing - it was a thing a boatload of decades ago or so. With barely a mention of it nowadays, I guess it went along the wayside around the same time wearing your horoscope symbol was cool, and a cell phone was just a phone and the size of a brick (which, by the way, your sign is Gemini or if born late in this month, Cancer). 

Now back to the birthstones. A natural three carat alexandrite can cost more than a half tanker load of regular gasoline (to put it in that perspective) unless it was a cheap synthetic variety (man-made or lab created.) Needless to say, genuine alexandrite is unaffordable to most. Many folks barely know what a moonstone is. I always had a fondness for them - they shine like the moon and resemble a crystal ball. That leaves the most familiar - the pearl. To my surprise, it is not all that popular here in the tropics. You would think being near the sea with all its wonder and beauty I would sell the living daylights out of them…you would be wrong. White, pink, grey, black, even champagne, no matter the color they are just not popular here. I sold more pearls when I was a younger buck up north in Boston’s jewelers building. I was honestly nicknamed Ricky-Moto (a play on words from the famous world known high quality pearls offered by the Japanese provider Miki-Moto.) I easily sold a dozen strands, rings, bracelets, earrings, drop pendants in a month-long period with no problem.

My mother, who is of Italian lineage, always told me when she was young that pearls were bad luck and never given to a bride to be as a gift because they would only bring tears and sadness to the marriage. 

I asked her to explain why most American brides wore pearls at their ceremony? And her reply? “Look how many end up divorced nowadays!” I can’t argue with her there!

Superstitions or not they are gorgeous and what woman does not love pearls? Well apparently here in the tropics…not many. Who’da thunk?

When I first arrived on the island in 1994, I stocked my first shop with two showcases full. I died a thousand deaths with my inventory. I couldn’t give my pearl inventory away - lesson learned. Today I keep a small amount on hand; occasionally a solitary soul buys a strand or a pair of simple studs. Nevertheless, in my world of jewelry, pearls are still slow movers.

Which brings me to the subject of diamonds where the opposite is true. No matter if they’re white, canary yellow, pink, blue, green, coffee or champagne colored, it does not matter, my customers love them as much as I do. Diamonds are truly forever, they don’t age and don’t fade, wear out and die like a pearl can.

The pearl is a sensitive gem - even perspiration can harm them - and they certainly cannot not handle harsh chemicals. Even a ladies spray on cologne can permanently damage an expensive set of pearls. Wipe them clean with a damp white cotton cloth and a dry swatch after wearing to increase your pearls longevity!

Chlorine does a number on both the pearl and the silk used to string them together. Some kindly not so useless information to some of the condo mermaids who seem to insist on wearing every piece of jewelry they own during water aerobics (chlorine is bad for gold jewelry too!) My additional advice is to treat your pearls like a newborn’s bottom…gently and carefully.

June’s gemstone the Alexandrite is not well known to the general public. I personally have only sold three in my fifty plus years in the business and they were small in size. The only places they are mined that I know of are Brazil and the Soviet Union.

The Russian variety is by far the best quality. The gem is famous for its color change - in certain light it changes from a purplish, greenish, even a red hue. The way tensions are in the world today with the Russians, I don’t expect any new material entering the U.S. anytime soon. 

The Brazilian gem is also pretty. I come across them for sale on occasion but I pass because I have no demand for them. In my opinion the color change is not as intense and Brazilians are more reasonably priced per carat. Do you want something different…wear Alexandrite!

Most of the large rings or pendants that are often brought to me from estates for appraisals are almost always the synthetic (manmade) variety that were popular tourist trinkets in the fifties and sixties with many were set in gold. The fake stones have no real value.

Have a great summer, I intend to finally travel to Europe again!