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Larimar: The Blue Pectolite of the Dominican Republic

By Digital Towns Crystals · Last reviewed October 8, 2026

Short answer: larimar is the sky-blue to sea-blue variety of pectolite, a sodium calcium silicate with the formula NaCa2Si3O8(OH). Pectolite occurs in many countries, usually white or gray, but the blue gem material has only been reported from the Dominican Republic, in the mountains of Barahona Province. It is soft (Mohs 4.5 to 5), colored by traces of copper, priced by depth of blue and pattern, and imitated by ceramic, glass and dyed white stones.

What mineral is larimar?

Larimar is a trade name, not a species. The mineral is pectolite, a member of the wollastonite group. According to GIA's Gem News report on imitation larimar, pectolite has a refractive index of 1.599 to 1.628, with a typical spot RI reading of about 1.60, and a specific gravity of 2.81. Those two numbers are the quickest laboratory separation from anything pretending to be larimar.

The key data, gathered in one place:

Property Larimar (blue pectolite)
Formula NaCa2Si3O8(OH)
Crystal system Triclinic
Mohs hardness 4.5 to 5
Specific gravity about 2.7 to 2.9 (2.81 typical)
Refractive index 1.599 to 1.628
Luster Silky to vitreous
Cause of blue Small amounts of Cu2+
Only gem source Dominican Republic

Ordinary pectolite is a collector mineral in its own right. Minerals.net's pectolite entry says the finest specimens came from the traprock quarries of northeastern New Jersey, with some of the best and thickest groupings from Paterson and Prospect Park, Passaic County. Those are white radiating sprays and balls. The name itself, per Webmineral, is from the Greek pektos, "compacted", and lithos, "stone", a nod to the dense, felted fibers.

That fibrous texture matters for larimar. Pectolite is usually a soft and delicate mass of radiating fibers, but in larimar the fibers are tough and interlocking, which is why the Dominican material can be carved and polished into cabochons at all.

Where does larimar come from, and how did it form?

Every piece of genuine larimar comes from one small district in the southwest of the Dominican Republic. Gemdat lists the locality as the Filipinas Larimar Mine at Los Checheses, in the Sierra de Baoruco of Barahona Province, and Minerals.net also names the Filipinas Mine in Los Checheses as the only source.

The geology is volcanic. In their 1989 study for Gems & Gemology, Woodruff and Fritsch reported that large quantities of this ornamental stone were found in cavities and veins of altered basalt (GIA, Blue Pectolite from the Dominican Republic). Hydrothermal fluids moving through the cooled lava deposited pectolite in open spaces, and where those fluids carried a little copper, the fibers grew blue. That is why many slabs show a white or gray rim against the host rock, then bands and webs of blue toward the center of a former cavity.

The 1974 rediscovery

The modern trade dates from the 1970s. Minerals.net records a legend that larimar was first found in 1916 and the locality then forgotten. In 1974, Norman Rilling, a visiting member of the US Peace Corps, found the locality together with Miguel Méndez, a Dominican native. The name joins "Larissa", Méndez's daughter, with "mar", Spanish for sea. GIA's 1989 paper describes it as having recently entered the U.S. market at that time, so the stone is a gem of the last fifty years, not an antique one.

What gives larimar its color, and does it fade?

The blue comes from copper. GIA's researchers concluded that the cause of color is related to the presence of small amounts of Cu2+, and gem references compiled on Gemdat attribute the blue to Cu2+ in octahedral coordination. The patterns are part of the stone's identity: Minerals.net notes that the color is rarely solid and is almost always blue with interconnecting white lines and rough circles, sometimes with a radiating pattern of crystal needles visible in the stone.

Fading is the question every larimar buyer asks, and the sources do not fully agree. The 1989 GIA study found that the color appears stable to light but does react to irradiation and to the heat of a jeweler's torch. Minerals.net, on the other hand, warns that its color may fade upon prolonged exposure to strong sunlight. The practical answer is cautious: a larimar pendant worn in daylight is fine, but a slab left on a sunny windowsill for years is a risk not worth taking, and no jeweler should put a torch near a set stone. Our sun-fading guide covers how to display light-shy pieces.

How is larimar graded and priced?

There is no laboratory grading standard for larimar, but the trade agrees on the direction. Minerals.net puts it simply: deeper blue colors and less white are more desirable. In practice four things move the price:

  1. Depth of blue. Pale, washed sky blue sits at the bottom. Saturated volcanic blue, the color some sellers call "volcanic" or "AAA", sits at the top.
  2. Pattern. Crisp "turtle back" polygons and sharp white lacing add value; muddy gray or brown patches subtract it.
  3. Matrix and inclusions. Red-brown iron staining or host rock along an edge is natural and acceptable in a specimen slab, less so in a jewelry cabochon.
  4. Size and finish. Large, solid, evenly blue cabochons are rare because the blue zones in a cavity are thin.

Grade letters are seller shorthand, not a standard. Two dealers' "AAA" can look very different, so judge the photo, not the letters.

How do you spot fake larimar?

Larimar's single source makes it a target for imitation. Minerals.net says larimar is not treated or enhanced, but that some inexpensive white gemstones are dyed blue to resemble it. GIA's overview of gem treatments explains why: dyeing introduces colored dyes into porous or fractured gems, and howlite is among the materials it lists as routinely dyed.

Manufactured imitations are also known. In the GIA report cited above, a 3.91 ct cabochon bought in India as a larimar imitation turned out to be a ceramic material, which its vendor said was made in China. Under magnification it showed white gas bubbles and dark blue color concentrations, and its spot RI of 1.53 and SG of 1.87 were distinctly lower than the values for larimar.

Checks a buyer can make without a lab:

  • Look for fibers. Real larimar shows silky, fibrous texture and radiating needles in the blue under a 10x loupe. Ceramic and glass do not.
  • Look for bubbles. Round gas bubbles are a glass or ceramic giveaway.
  • Look in the cracks. Dye collects in fractures and pits as darker lines; natural copper blue does not concentrate along cracks.
  • Weigh it. A ceramic copy at SG 1.87 feels light for its size next to genuine material at about 2.8.
  • Check the price and the story. Genuine larimar has one source. A seller offering it from Indonesia, Peru or "the Caribbean" generally is selling something else.

Two natural stones are honestly confused with larimar: amazonite, a blue-green feldspar with grid-like white streaks, and blue chalcedony, which is harder and lacks the fibrous web. Neither is fake; they are simply different minerals.

How should you care for larimar?

Treat larimar as a soft, slightly delicate stone. At 4.5 to 5 on the Mohs scale, quartz dust, which rates 7, will scratch it, so a larimar ring worn daily will lose its polish. Pendants and earrings hold up better. Minerals.net's pectolite entry notes that pectolite is soluble in hydrochloric acid, so keep it away from acidic cleaners. Wipe it with a damp cloth and mild soap, dry it, and store it in a soft pouch away from harder stones. Keep it out of ultrasonic cleaners and away from heat, given GIA's finding that torch heat affects the color.

What is larimar associated with in crystal traditions?

In crystal traditions, larimar is associated with the sea, calm communication and the throat chakra, mostly because of its water-blue color, and it is sometimes called the "Atlantis stone" in that literature. These are cultural associations, not properties of the mineral.

Shopping the larimar we stock

Buy larimar for color first, pattern second and size third. Ask where it was mined (the only right answer is the Dominican Republic), ask whether it is natural color, and look at the photo for fibers and white lacing. Rough slabs show the stone's honest range, from pale to deep blue with host rock on the edges, and are the best way to learn what natural larimar looks like.

  • Larimar pieces: small, low-priced pieces for seeing the color and the white web pattern up close; check for the silky fibrous texture that ceramic copies lack.
  • Bulk rough larimar slabs: unpolished slabs that show where blue pectolite meets its host rock, good for lapidary work or for learning to grade color.
  • Amazonite: a blue-green feldspar that some sellers pass off as larimar; worth owning side by side to train your eye on the difference in texture.
  • Blue chalcedony: a harder, waxy blue quartz-family stone, another honest look-alike that shows what larimar's fibrous texture is not.

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Frequently asked questions

Is larimar only found in the Dominican Republic?

Yes. Pectolite occurs in many countries, including fine white specimens from New Jersey, but the blue gem variety called larimar has only been reported from the Dominican Republic, at the Los Checheses mining area in the Sierra de Baoruco, Barahona Province.

What is larimar made of?

Larimar is pectolite, a hydrous sodium calcium silicate with the formula NaCa2Si3O8(OH). Its blue color is linked to small amounts of copper. It forms as tough, interlocking fibers in cavities and veins of altered basalt, which lets it take a polish.

Does larimar fade in the sun?

Sources differ. A 1989 GIA study found its color appears stable to light, while Minerals.net warns it may fade with prolonged strong sunlight. Wearing it outdoors is fine, but avoid leaving slabs in direct sun for long periods and never expose it to torch heat.

How can you tell if larimar is fake?

Look for silky fibers and radiating needles under a loupe; ceramic and glass copies show gas bubbles instead. Dyed white stones show color pooled in cracks. A GIA-reported ceramic imitation had an SG of 1.87, well below larimar's 2.81, so copies can feel light.

Is larimar good for a ring?

It is a soft stone at Mohs 4.5 to 5, so it scratches and dulls with daily ring wear. Pendants, earrings and protective bezel settings are better choices. Clean it gently with mild soap and water, and keep it away from acids and ultrasonic cleaners.

Sources