The larimar stone has been appreciated since ancient times and remains a beautiful stone today. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of these beautiful stones, you will absolutely not regret it.
What is larimar?
The larimar stone is an amazingly beautiful stone from the Dominican Republic, which means "strength and good luck". It is low in production, expensive, and said to have powerful healing properties including relaxing and calming.
Natural Larimar Gemstone $ 100, SHOP NOW.
Larimar properties
From a geologist's point of view, larimar is actually copper pectolite. It has an opaque sky blue or volcanic blue color, with occasional greenish tints. The blue larimar color may be the result of traces of copper or vanadium in the mineral.
The unique blue color, together with white stripes that resemble waves, is its distinctive feature. Sometimes it includes red, brown (caused by iron), or gray inclusions.
Larimar value: volcanic blue > turquoise blue > sky blue > light blue > white.
Since larimar has a hardness of 4.5~6 and a specific gravity of 2.7~2.9 and is soluble in hydrochloric acid, we should protect larimar jewelry from being eroded by sweat during daily wear.
All in all, larmar's unique blue color, white patterns, and low production volumes have earned it a place in the semi-precious stone market.
It is known as one of the "Three Treasures of the Caribbean", along with amber and the conch pearl from the West Indies.
History
The Caribbean Sea, located in the western Atlantic Ocean, between North and South America, is the homeland of the Indians. At the end of the 15th century, the navigator Columbus landed here, mistakenly believing that he had arrived in India, and began to colonize the natives.
On the island of Haiti in the Caribbean Sea, the Indians struggled with the colonizers while praying for the blessing of heaven.
In their eyes, beautiful objects always had magical powers. They could not only bring strength and good luck but also protect their families from harm.
The larimar stone is one of the Indian's magic treasures. It is often made into pendants or necklaces for daily wear. However, most people did not know this stone at that time except the local Indians.
It was not until 1974 that an American soldier and a Dominican geologist discovered the stone and found the vein. The geologist named the stone after his daughter's name, Larissa, and the Spanish word for sea, mar, which became a new word, larimar, meaning "incomparable blue".
Where is larimar found?
To date, the Bahoruco Mountains in the Dominican Republic are the only source of larimar, an area of only about 15 square kilometers.
In addition, since larimar stones mainly exist in crevices or holes in volcanic rocks, which are difficult to find and there are very few large ones, their production is really limited.
As a result, larimar is now very precious and has become the national stone of the Dominican Republic.
Larimar stone value
How much is larimar worth?
The price of larimar ranges from $1 per gram to several hundred dollars for a high-quality one depending on its quality and size. Generally speaking, we can find good quality larimar jewelry at about $50- $100 for daily wear.
Larimar value: volcanic blue > turquoise blue > sky blue > light blue > white.
How rare is larimar stone?
The value of a gemstone very much depends on its scarcity. Due to its limited distribution and the fact that it is a non-renewable mine, there are not many larimar stones on the market today.
The only source of larimar stones in the world is the Dominican Republic, where only 15 square kilometers are available for mining. The United States and Canada also produce acanthoclase, but it does not contain copper and thus lacks the unique blue color of this rare stone.
The Dominican Republic has a rainy season for half of the year (from May to October); Therefore, only three months are good for mining.
Moreover, since the stones exist mostly in crevices or holes in the volcanic rocks of the region, they must be mined entirely by hand and with tools such as spades, making the process quite inefficient.
These reasons lead to a very low production volume for raw larimar stones, i.e., less than 10 tons per year.
At the same time, the number of quality ones is even lower, because the raw larimar stones are mostly quite small and there are only a few big pieces, especially after we remove the skin and the middle part, which are all scrap.
Overall, 1 kg of raw material can only make about 50 g of finished products. This further embodies its rarity.
Larimar meaning
The larimar stone is one of the Indian's magic treasures. They believed that this powerful stone can not only bring strength and good luck but also protect their families from harm. As a result, it is often made into pendants or necklaces for daily wear.
Larimar metaphysical properties
The larimar stone corresponds to the throat chakra and has a cooling and releasing effect, helping to clear negative energies in each chakra and bring peace.
Therefore, it helps us to objectively examine, and evaluate our thoughts and behaviors, and then improve. It is a stone that promotes "self-reflection".
It also helps us to see our strengths and weaknesses, to appreciate the value of each existence, and to eliminate jealousy and the desire for unnecessary comparison so that we can return to simple happiness.
Larimar healing properties
The larimar stone is able to soothe and calm our minds. It works especially well on people who are irritable and hostile.
It is also effective in dealing with negative emotions and stress. If you feel sad, jealous, or in pain, then larimar would be a great choice for you to help get rid of these troubles and bring you back to peace.
This is one of the reasons why a large number of people nowadays are fond of larimar. It is because this stone helps to relax amidst the stress of work.
Larimar jewelry selected by our editors
Boho Magic Silver Larimar Ring $44, SHOP NOW.
A beautiful ocean blue larimar ring with a simple yet unique boho design. It is made of solid sterling silver.
Ross-Simons larimar octopus drop earrings in sterling silver $99, SHOP NOW.
Larimar drop earrings in sterling silver $59, SHOP NOW.
Larimar and .50 Carat London Blue Topaz Necklace in Sterling Silver $59, SHOP NOW.
Where to buy larimar jewelry?
If you want to buy a larimar stone and larimar jewelry ranging from $0.5-$100, you can check Etsy. You can buy a raw larimar stone, larimar beads, or larimar jewelry, like a larimar ring, a larimar necklace, and a larimar bracelet that is affordable and of high quality, and have them delivered to your house fast.
Alternatively, if you want to buy high-end larimar jewelry ranging from $60-$2000, you can check Ross-Simons. You can also have all the products delivered to your home.
How to charge larimar?
1. Place it on a crystal cluster
Charging with a crystal cluster is the easiest and most convenient method. The crystal cluster itself has very strong energy. It can not only purify the stone but also charge it. All we need to do is to place the stone on the crystal cluster overnight.
2. Under sunlight
Place your crystal under sunlight for a few hours so that the most powerful forces of nature can purify and charge your crystal.
But remember, this method does not work with colored stones such as amethyst, citrine, or rose quartz, because these crystals contain elements such as Fe (iron) and Cu (copper), whose colors will fade due to prolonged exposure to the sunshine and high temperatures.
3. In the moonlight
On the night of the full moon, place the crystals on a windowsill facing the moon. You can also place them outside if it is safe to do so. If needed, cover them with a glass jar or bowl to provide extra protection. Moonlight will charge the crystals overnight.
How to cleanse larimar stone?
1. Bury or soak in salt
The standard way to cleanse and purify a stone is to use salt.
How do we do it? If you use large grains of salt, then simply put the salt on a plate or dish and then bury the stone within the salt for about 24 hours. Reminder, it can be longer than 24 hours, but not shorter.
This is very effective and can last up to 3 months with a single purification, also called 100-day purification.
If we use small grains of salt instead, we need to prepare a liquid in the ratio of 10 grams of kosher salt to 500 grams of water, put the crystal into the liquid, and soak it for 24 hours.
Since the small grains of salt are less energetic, you can carry it for about 1 month continuously for one purification.
However, this method can not be applied to certain pieces of gemstone jewelry, such as pendants wrapped with K gold or silver, because the metal will be eroded.
2. Use clear water
Crystals and their energy come from nature, so we can also use natural methods to help cleanse the stone.
Place the stone in a flowing stream or river or even tap water and rinse it with water for 20 minutes before drying it.
If this is not possible, buy a bottle of mineral water and soak the crystal in it for 24 hours. This helps to remove the negative energy.
3. Smudging
To be honest, this is one of the most commonly used methods. All that we need to do is simply put the crystal in the room and let the smoke of essential oil, sage, or sandalwood ( please remember to use natural essential oil without added chemicals) work the magic.
4. Bury in the soil
This is the most powerful method. If the crystal has been owned by a sick person, then we strongly recommend using this method. After all, the crystal comes from the earth. Letting it go back to the original place for purification is the best.
Remember though to find an unpolluted place to do so. In addition, it is recommended that to bury for more than a month.
To wrap up
In conclusion, the larimar stone has been appreciated since ancient times and remains a beautiful stone today. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of these beautiful stones, you will absolutely not regret it.
We hope this article has given you the insight you need to find the perfect gift for a loved one. Feel to share your thoughts below or check other articles on gemstones that we have published.
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