What minerals are in Larimar?

Larimar is a type of pectolite or a rock composed largely of pectolite, an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium. Pectolite is found in many locations, but larimar has a unique volcanic blue coloration, which is the result of copper substitution for calcium.

What is the chemical formula of Larimar?

NaCa₂Si₃O₈(OH)
Larimar/Chemical formula

How is Larimar made?

The word Larimar was created by Mendez, who combined his daughter’s name Larissa with the Spanish world for sea, Mar. Before Mendez and Rilling, local inhabitants of the region and their ancestors had long been aware of the stone. The stone is formed when hot gases push crystallized minerals up though volcanic ‘tubes’.

Why is Larimar so expensive?

Larimar is a rare and beautiful gemstone and this is reflected in the price. It has only one source and this source is deep in the mountainous jungles of the Dominican Republic where miners dig them by hand in hot humid conditions.

What does fake Larimar look like?

Most common fake is “larimar quartz”. It’s dyed quartz which is more transparent, it includes small “sugar” crystals, and lacks the gorgeous white-to-blue fades and white streaks framing the blue masses, as well as the occasional green and grayish tones.

Is Larimar safe in water?

As a mineral and rock, Larimar can be safely put in water for brief periods of time. However, even medium hard materials that can survive a dunking shouldn’t be soaked unnecessarily. In this article, you’ll learn more about larimar, and why it is that larimar is mostly safe in water.

How can you tell if larimar stone is real?

True larimar has creamy white veins and streaks that are milky opaque, similar in depth to white jade, and there are no visible small transparent crystals similar to sugar crystals you’d see in, for example, dyed quartz being sold as larimar.

Can you put larimar in water?

Larimar can go in water, but it may change color slightly if it spends too long submerged. It’s believed that the blue color of the stone gets darker when it absorbs too much water.

How can you tell fake larimar?

Most common fake is “larimar quartz”. While some sellers are labeling it honestly, many are not. It’s dyed quartz which is more transparent, it includes small “sugar” crystals, and lacks the gorgeous white-to-blue fades and white streaks framing the blue masses, as well as the occasional green and grayish tones.

What is the color of Larimar stone?

Amazing! Larimar’s beautiful colors mirror the blue and white shades of the ocean and sky. No two stones are alike; each piece is unique, with its own natural beauty. Its colorations vary from white, light-blue, green-blue to deep blue, from translucent to dark. Larimar stones to Rorschach tests.

What is Larimar pectolite?

It’s a form of pectolite, and although pectolite is found in nearly every hemisphere, none have the unique volcanic blue coloration of Larimar. Pectolite is normally gray or white, yet pectolite from that one location in the world is a beautiful blue pectolite – that which we know and love as Larimar!

Where can I find Larimar?

First of all – it’s one of the most rare, too! LARIMAR is found in only one place in the world – one square kilometer (approximately ½ square mile!) in the mountains above Baoruco in the Dominican Republic! LARIMAR is a volcanic stone, the result of volcanic activity that occurred millions of years ago!