Lapidarium
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Larimar

Caribbean-blue pectolite from a single hillside in the Dominican Republic.

Family
Pectolite
Formula
NaCa₂Si₃O₈(OH)
Mohs
4.5 to 5
System
Triclinic

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Science

Larimar is pectolite coloured blue by copper substituting for calcium, found only in the basalts of the Bahoruco range. Pectolite is normally white or grey; the copper and the fibrous radiating structure give larimar its wave-like white patterns on blue.

Mineral
Pectolite (variety)
Formula
NaCa₂Si₃O₈(OH)
Crystal system
Triclinic
Mohs hardness
4.5 to 5
Specific gravity
2.84 to 2.90
Refractive index
1.590 to 1.630
Lustre
Silky to vitreous
Colours
Sky blue, White, Turquoise

Composition

NaCa₂Si₃O₈(OH). Made of Sodium, Calcium, Silicon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, with trace Copper responsible for colour.

in formula trace, gives colour

Origin

  • Dominican Republic
    Los Chupaderos, Barahona

Filled dots are primary sources

Rarity

Rare
4 of 5

One deposit on Earth, hand-mined in narrow shafts. Deep 'volcanic blue' material is scarce.

  1. 1 Abundant
  2. 2 Common
  3. 3 Uncommon
  4. 4 Rare
  5. 5 Exceptional

Hardness

Larimar sits at 4.5 to 5 on the Mohs scale. A steel knife will scratch it; it suits pendants and display more than rings.

Fingernail
Copper coin
Knife, glass
Steel file
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Energy

Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.

Chakras

  • Throat
  • Heart

Element

  • Water

Zodiac

  • Leo
  • Pisces

Planets

  • Neptune

Properties

  • Serenity
  • Clear communication
  • Healing
  • Letting go of fear

Lore

Miguel Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer Norman Rilling rediscovered it in 1974; Méndez named it for his daughter Larissa plus mar, the sea. A priest had reported it in 1916 and been ignored.

Marketed as the Atlantis stone since the 1980s; its practice reputation is the sea's calm.

  • Named
    1974, Larissa + mar.
  • Fading
    Prolonged sun can pale the blue.