How Do I Love Thee, Pearls? Let Me Count the Ways - June Birthstone favs

There’s something timeless and tender about pearls. Maybe it’s the way they glow from within, like moonlight caught in a shell. Maybe it’s the mystery in their luster, that we cannot quite replicate - that silky, satiny surface that seems to whisper secrets of the sea.

In my lifetime I've seen pearls as a traditional 'look' for a lady. At church, or the fancy folks at the Country Club. For me as a child it wasn't the best association to represent 'me' I thought.

My how things change!

Of course we see pearls representing so much MORE these days. Not only a symbol of strength worn by women of power, but more and more I see pearls crossing all gender and style boundaries.

Pearls are strong - incredibly so. Not just in their structure, but in what they represent. Each pearl begins as an irritation, an intruder, a grain of sand or parasite that somehow finds its way into the tender heart of an oyster or mollusk. And rather than rejecting it, the creature responds by layering nacre over and over again, turning discomfort into something radiant. There’s something deeply poetic in that process—a quiet alchemy, a transformation of struggle into beauty.

No two pearls are alike. They’re complex, built layer by delicate layer, over years. That complexity makes them feel soulful. Ancient. They’ve been revered across cultures and continents—from Cleopatra’s infamous pearl cocktail to the heirlooms passed down through generations. They are a symbol of wisdom, purity, and resilience.

It’s no surprise, then, that pearls are one of June’s birthstones, along with alexandrite and moonstone—two other luminous stones that play with light and color in their own magical ways.

So yes—how do I love thee, pearls?
For your mystery.
For your strength.
For the quiet way you turn pressure into grace.
You’re not just a gem. You’re a story.