Last month was all about emeralds, the beautiful green gem that has been assigned as the birthstone for May babies! This month, we’ll be focussing on pearls. June actually has three recognized birthstones: pearls, alexandrite, and moonstone. However, our online jewelry store has so many cute pearl jewelry pieces that we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to share them with our readers! Whether you’re looking for pearl earrings, a pearl-plated watch, or another piece of pearl jewelry, we’ve got something you’ll love. Keep reading to learn about pearls and then find out how your purchase of pearl jewelry from The Pink Pigs can help animals at Rooterville Animal Sanctuary!

All About Pearls

Pearls are the only gemstones that are made by living things. Natural pearls occur when a parasite or small irritant enters a mollusk, most often an oyster or a freshwater mussel. If the intruder settles into the shell, the creature will secrete calcium carbonate which will surround the irritant. This process occurs over and over and the pearl grows larger and larger.

Most pearls used in jewelry are either faux pearls (which you will see we offer a few labeled faux pearl pieces) or freshwater pearls, which can be cultivated in large quantities, significantly reducing the price. The finest pearls are mined from the ocean and can come in a range of colors, including rose, champagne, and black.

How To Take Care Of Pearls

Pearls are extremely soft, even though they might feel like a hard pebble. In fact, pearls can even dissolve in vinegar if left submerged for a few days! This is partially due to their porosity.

When wearing pearls, make sure to put on your makeup, perfume, hairspray, and lotion before placing your pearl jewelry. This will help to keep potentially harmful substances away from the pearls and increase their longevity. If you will be wearing lotion or perfume, consider not applying these products where your pearls will be if possible.

At the end of the day, remove your pearl jewelry and wipe it down with a super soft cloth to help remove any dirt, oil, or grime that has built up on it throughout the day. If you wear your pearls regularly, it is a good idea to use some warm, soapy water and a washcloth to give them a thorough cleaning every few wears. You can also wash them after wearing if you know it will be several months before you wear them again. This ensures that there is no residue lingering on the pearls for weeks between wears.

If you will be cleaning with or exposed to harsh chemicals, make sure to remove any pearl rings or bracelets to protect them. Additionally, always remove your pearls before entering a pool or hot tub as chlorine can make pearls look dull.

While it might seem like a good idea to use jewelry cleaner on pearls, this is best avoided unless the cleaner specifically says it is safe for pearls. Many jewelry cleaners are too harsh for these beautiful little gems.

Buy Pearl Jewelry Online At The Pink Pigs…

And help animals in need! Here at The Pink Pigs, we use all of the proceeds from our sales to help feed and care for the hundreds of rescue animals we currently have at Rooterville Animal Sanctuary.

Our online unique jewelry store started with the need to feed about 400 pigs, chickens, horses, dogs, and other rescue animals at Rooterville. We truly appreciate every purchase you make and we know that you’ll love our pearl jewelry — especially when it comes to the amazing prices we offer!

Shop our pearl jewelry today and celebrate the month of June in style!

Here at The Pink Pigs, you’ll be happy to know that all proceeds from our sales go to helping the rescued animals at Rooterville Animal Sanctuary! We currently have about 400 animals in our sanctuary who need plenty of care, love, and of course, food. While all of our merchandise makes great gifts for animal lovers because the proceeds directly impact animals, we also have some vegan-themed gifts for those who go above and beyond to help animals by eliminating animal products from their diets.

At Rooterville, we promote a plant-based lifestyle. For those who are already vegan, or know someone who is, we offer a huge collection of vegan t-shirts, jewelry, vegan bumper stickers, and more so you can promote a meat-free lifestyle and know that your purchase goes directly to helping the animals in our sanctuary and helping us teach others about plant-based living.

The Benefits Of A Vegan Lifestyle

Living a vegan lifestyle has many benefits other than just a clean conscious and being able to wear all of our cute vegan t-shirts and jewelry.

When you eliminate meat from your diet, you rely more on other foods for nutrients. Most vegans eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and other foods that are packed with nutrients, fiber, and vitamins. Of course, this is a choice you need to make because vegans can also just eat tater tots all day and still be vegan. If you are vegan or vegetarian, make sure you are still getting all of the nutrients your body needs to thrive.

The elimination of certain meats from the diet and the increased intake of whole foods can also reduce the risk of certain cancers, heart disease, kidney issues, and other diet-related health problems.

Living a vegan lifestyle has more than just personal health benefits. The meat industry is a major contributor to global warming. While one person adopting a vegan lifestyle won’t fix our environmental crisis, you can certainly feel good knowing that you are making a personal decision to reduce your impact on climate change.

Take Things One Step At Time

We know that meat is a huge part of many peoples’ diets and quitting meat (excuse the pun) cold turkey is almost destined for failure. When embarking on a meat-free lifestyle, try to take things one step at a time. Eat a meatless lunch one day a week at work. Eliminate one animal from your diet every month. Join in on “Meatless Mondays” and cook a healthy plant-based dinner for yourself and your family. Instead of going to a steakhouse or burger joint for dinner, find a local place that caters to vegans and vegetarians. When you become comfortable with this, take the next step. Perhaps you want to pledge to eliminate animal products from your lunch every single day or cook two or three meals a week without animal products.

When you take these baby steps, you realize that there are other ways to get the protein you need in your diet and that you can eliminate animal products without starving or depriving yourself of tasty food.

Support A Vegan Or Spread A Message

Perhaps you found our vegan t-shirts because you are looking for gifts for a vegan friend or family member. Getting a vegan person a vegan message t-shirt that says “Love animals? Don’t eat them” or “Eat fruit, not friends” is a great way to show your support for them while also going above and beyond by supporting our animal sanctuary.

If you are vegan or vegetarian yourself, then you can feel good knowing that your dollars do double duty at our store. Not only will you be publically spreading awareness about a plant-based lifestyle, but you are also helping us rescue animals and spread awareness to those who visit our sanctuary.

Buy Vegan-Themed T-Shirts, Jewelry, And More Today!

Make sure to check out our entire collection of vegan gifts, t-shirts, and other items today. We have so many cute vegan message shirts, vinyl bumper stickers, sweatshirts, jewelry, and even glow-in-the-dark vegan socks! You or the vegan in your life will love adding these items to your wardrobe and you can feel good knowing you’re helping the little piggies, chickens, dogs, cows, and other animals at our sanctuary.

It’s May! We are right in the middle of spring, so it only makes sense that May’s birthstone is a gorgeous green gem that is absolutely brimming with life. May’s birthstone is the emerald, and today we’d like to take some time to discuss this beautiful gem (and how you can find some emerald jewelry online right here at The Pink Pigs)!

Where Are Emeralds From?

The emerald has been a cherished gem for thousands of years, with the earliest emerald mines dating back to at least 2000 BC. Early emerald mining primarily occurred in Egypt, as the green gem was a personal favorite of Cleopatra. Emeralds can be found throughout the world, but these days most natural emeralds come from Colombia, Brazil, and Zambia.

What Makes A Good Emerald?

Every precious gem has factors that determine its worth. When it comes to emeralds, the most important element is the color. The finest emeralds are a bluish-green or pure green. The stone should also have great clarity and evenly distributed color.

Gems Of Fashion And Luxury

While diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, emeralds are another luxury gem associated with class and sophistication. As we mentioned, Cleopatra was one of emerald’s earliest fans and, at one point, claimed ownership of all emeralds in Egypt!  

Other notable emerald lovers include Elizabeth Taylor who was acquainted with the gem while depicting Cleopatra in a movie and Jackie Kennedy, who famously wore an engagement ring that had both a large diamond as well as an emerald.

King Edward VIII, who famously abdicated the throne of England in 1936 for love, proposed to Wallis Simpson with a nearly 20-carat emerald! Emeralds have played such a large role in so many lives that it’s no surprise they are one of the few gems chosen to represent a month.

More Than Just Good Looks

While emeralds are no doubt gorgeous, throughout history they have played a very important role in many different cultures. Many believed that the green color of emeralds was soothing to the eyes and stonecutters would spend hours staring at the gem after a hard day of work. Ancient Egyptians used the calming green color to ease the pain of childbirth and mummies were buried with emeralds in hopes that it would grant eternal youth. Other cultures used emeralds to ward off evil spirits or to grant them the protection of God.

Buy Emerald Jewelry From The Pink Pigs

Here at the Pink Pigs, we have plenty of emerald jewelry so you can celebrate your birth month or simply rock a piece of jewelry you love! We offer authentic emeralds as well as emerald-like jewels and created emeralds that are more budget-friendly.

Make sure to check out our emerald jewelry online, including our affordable created emerald heart jewelry set, our gorgeous vintage-style emerald engagement ring, our genuine emerald earrings, and the rest of our fine emerald jewelry! Celebrate your birth month in style or simply show off your love for these little green gems!

Best of all, sales of our jewelry go to supporting Rooterville, our pig and animal sanctuary! With your purchase, you not only get an amazing piece of jewelry. You also get to feel good knowing that your purchase is helping to feed hundreds of hungry mouths at our sanctuary.