LARIMAR - legacy of Atlantis, legend of the Dominican Republic

History and origin

The appearance of larimar is shrouded in mystery. Its earthly, documented history is accompanied by a legendary version.

Legend

Tradition claims that larimar was found by the inhabitants of the legendary Atlantis. They considered the pebbles to be fragments of an even more ancient civilization that lived on a sunken continent. Therefore, the second name of the mineral is Atlantis.

This seems to be true: Larimar was first discovered in volcanic rocks from the Miocene period (23.03–5.33 million years ago) in the Dominican Republic.

Larimar - azure mineral

Story

Larimar became famous in 1916, when it was discovered in Haiti by a Catholic missionary priest.

Almost 60 years later, the stone came to the attention of Miguel Mendez. This local jeweler mistook it for turquoise. But it is opaque, so the sample was sent for examination in the USA. Experts from the Smithsonian Institution have made a final verdict: this is pectolite, its blue variety.

Name

Larimar received its name from its discoverer, Miguel Mendez. The term is made up of two parts: the name of the daughter (Larisa) and “Mar” (sea). The mineral really looks like ocean or sea abyss.

In addition to Atlantis, larimar has other names: Atlantis stone, dolphin stone, Dominican turquoise, pectolite jade.

Where and how is stone mined?

Mineral deposits have been identified in the Caribbean countries: the Dominican Republic, Haiti and neighboring countries. Italy, northern Canada and border Alaska (US state) have small reserves.

In the Dominican Republic, the delicate stone is extracted from the deposit by hand. The rock layers are broken with hammers, after which the pebbles are pulled out. They are polished and sent to market.

Physico-chemical characteristics

Larimar is a variety of the mineral pictolite, a sodium-calcium silicate plus hydroxyl structure:

• chemical formula – NaCa2Si3O8(OH);
• hardness on the Mohs scale – 4.5-5;
• shine – silky;
• transparency – low, but translucent;
• fracture - uneven;
• cleavage – perfect;
• color – blue-blue palette.

The origin of the mineral is volcanic; the blue color and resemblance to glass is created by an admixture of vanadium.

Larimar comes in pink, turquoise, whitish, yellowish, gray, black, purple, and brownish. This is due to the amount and nature of impurities (for example, cobalt or copper). The surface is patterned with veins, slightly cloudy in color.

Properties of the mineral

Larimar is considered a semi-precious stone.

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Not all properties of larimar stone have been thoroughly studied. It sells well, and that's okay.

About larimar we can say:

1. The mineral may look like the seabed under sun-drenched waves; be of a cloudy hue, like water stirred up by the surf; turquoise, like the waters of the Caribbean Sea. Color range: from light blue to dark blue.
2. Hardness 5.5-6 on the Mohs scale.
3. Chemical formula NaCa2Si3O8(OH). Iron, aluminum, potassium, vanadium, and magnesium were found in the impurities.
4. Density 2.85-2.9 g/cm3.
5. Opaque or translucent.

The fine-grained structure after polishing gives the products a silky and glassy shine.

Interesting: the pattern of some samples photographically repeats the pattern of the bottom in the shallow waters of the lagoon.

Where is larimar used?

Areas of application of the mineral are jewelry making and decorative and applied arts.

Ring with larimar

Gemologists classify it as semi-precious or ornamental:

• It polishes well, imitating the surface of the sea. Therefore, flat cabochon inserts look most impressive in jewelry.
• A full range of products are made from the mineral. Its color scheme is combined with a white frame. More often this silver, gold or platinum is used in custom-made products.
• The most valuable for jewelers are blue, bluish or greenish specimens with veins.

The second segment is mascot figures and small plastic items.

Magic properties

A stone the color of sky or sea blue has a special range of actions:

• Helps the owner to love himself as he is. At the same time, set your life priorities and find your life’s work.
• Even notorious egoists, having acquired Larimar, begin to think about the needs of their family and friends, and take into account the environment.
• People susceptible to persistent depression, skeptics, begin to see life in bright colors. At the same time, the mineral does not allow one to “invent”, embellish, but give real assessments of events and people.
• The semi-precious blue-white mineral encourages perfectionists to be more lenient towards the shortcomings and weaknesses of the environment. Aggressive – reduce the degree of emotions.
• The mineral cleanses the human biofield of negativity and provides protection against the penetration of new things.
• Larimar is a love “magnet”, useful to everyone who is looking for a soul mate.
• A figurine or cabochon can become a talisman for the family hearth.
• The stone is often used for meditation.

Larimar does not help in dark matters. Once polluted, its positive energy is reset to zero. Recovers with difficulty under spring or sea water.

The most powerful magical properties of larimar are in a silver frame.

Pure magic

The energy of Larimar is bright, life-affirming, and kind.

The sorcerers in Haiti were not very fond of the stone - in the famous black magic of voodoo, larimar is useless.

But larimar has magical properties. It will relieve loneliness, protect against betrayal and jealousy. That's what esotericists say, in any case.

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Place talismans made from the mineral (especially crafts) in the house. They will protect the family from “showdowns,” spouses from misunderstandings, and the home from the presence of dark forces. Products made from Atlantic stone harmonize the owner’s aura and neutralize external negativity.

Interesting: the Dominican groom must give his chosen one a ring with larimar.

Lonely girls dreaming of a prince are given a pebble by their friends (if they don’t give it to them, they should quickly buy it themselves).

According to some esotericists, larimar is suitable for sellers - the stone will attract customers to your store.

Therapeutic effect

Healers have identified the spectrum of effects of larimar:

• treatment of acute respiratory infections, ARVI, relief of sore throat;
• therapy of arthrosis, arthritis;
• relief from asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory tract ailments;
• treatment of cardiovascular pathologies;
• normalization of blood pressure (especially hypertension);
• neutralization of internal inflammatory processes;
• assistance for faster recovery after surgery or injury.

At the same time, the immune system is strengthened.

Mineral treatment is beneficial for the blood:

• blood flow and blood composition improves, especially with atherosclerosis and vulnerable vessels;
• external bleeding stops (a stone is applied to the wound);
• during pregnancy, bleeding and the threat of miscarriage are prevented.

The healing properties of the stone are not limited to physical health. Emotions come under the beneficial influence of larimar. The mineral normalizes mental mood and is able to relieve depression or extinguish aggression.

Even an impulsive or nervous person who has a semi-precious blue-white mineral with him feels calm.

During treatment, accessories are used on the solar plexus. That is, long beads, necklaces or pendants. Earrings, brooch, bracelet, ring - more decoration.

Medicinal properties

Since larimar is considered a “water” talisman, it has a beneficial effect on the natural fluids in the human body. Stops bleeding, cleanses blood vessels, improves the functioning of the excretory system. Like the sound of waves, the mineral is a natural antidepressant.

Diseases for which larimar is worn:

• influenza, ARVI, bronchitis, chronic runny nose;
• inflammatory processes in the body (Water energy reduces temperature);
• injuries and diseases associated with damage to bone tissue;
• “female” diseases (amulet made of silver with inserts of larimar and pearls are especially effective);
• problematic pregnancy (the stone reduces the risk of bleeding);
• disorders of the central nervous system.

Larimar and Zodiac

The blue stone larimar as a magical artifact is selective in relation to the inhabitants of the Zodiac circle:

• The mineral has ideal compatibility with Taurus, Aquarius and Libra. It will protect against damage, witchcraft, and give confidence and peace of mind. It will improve your personal life: it will help you find a couple, it will preserve the family hearth.
• According to the horoscope, this is the fateful talisman gem of Leo: an ally in all enterprises and projects.
• Larimar is also suitable for Gemini, Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Pisces. They can rely on a pebble during difficult periods of life.
• The magical properties of the larimar stone are useless for Aries and Scorpios: the gem will not harm, but it will not help either.

Table of compatibility of Larimar with zodiac signs (“+++” – fits perfectly, “+” – can be worn, “-” – is strictly contraindicated).

Regardless of the zodiac sign, everyone can wear products with a stone as decoration.

Pendant with larimar

Who is Larimar suitable for?

The breadth of the range makes Dominican stone suitable for many people and for many reasons:

• Silver jewelry with a light miniature stone is suitable for a teenage girl or a young girl.
• Larger inserts and deeper colors will decorate a more mature lady.
• Silver is harmonious in the office or on a walk. Gold or platinum is an attribute of evening receptions or special events.
• For the men's assortment (ring, tie clip, cufflinks), muted pieces of different colors are appropriate.

Dominican blue or blue stone is an ideal choice for blue-eyed or blue-eyed people.

Bracelet with larimar

An exclusive choice would be choosing an outfit or clutch bag that exactly matches the color scheme of the stone.

Price

In terms of color, “volcanic blue” is considered the most valuable. This is how jewelers dubbed the deep blue stones.

Cost of larimar products, thousand rubles:

• figurine of a fish (6x4.5x2 cm) – 27.5;
• ball, 35 mm – 35.7;
• egg, 43x31 – 14.9;
• tumbling, 2–3 cm – 1.4-1.9.

Silver products (925°), thousand rubles:

• earrings – 8.4;
• pendant – 1.8;
• ring – 4.2.

This is the price of factory, mass-produced products. Original works with stones of comparable characteristics are twice as expensive.

Earrings with larimar

When determining the price of a product, the quality of the stone matters. Thus, a bracelet made of pale blue stones costs 2.7, a similar one made of deep blue larimar costs 10.8 thousand rubles.

How to recognize a fake?

Despite the fact that larimar is a semi-precious stone, the risk of purchasing a fake is high. This is due to the limited reserves of the mineral in nature. Dolphinium fakes are made of glass, plastic and ceramics. The following tips will help you identify imitation stone:

1. If the tag of a product with larimar indicates a country where there are no deposits of this mineral, then it is better to refuse the purchase.
2. The presence of products with the same stones from the seller indicates that the inserts are fake.
3. Symmetrical and even white bows on the mineral are a sign of imitation.
4. Solid stone crystals are used for inlaying silver items and making jewelry. There are no reconstituted or pressed larimars in jewelry.
5. Any jewelry and souvenirs with natural stones are sold only in jewelry stores. There is no point in looking for genuine stones at jewelry and souvenir retail outlets, since such stores do not sell them.
6. Real larimar will never become warm when held in your hand.

Fire will help verify the authenticity of the stone. If the insert in the jewelry begins to melt when heated, and an unpleasant odor emanates from it, this means that it is plastic.

A product with genuine larimar will not cost much less than the market value. Even miniature earrings with inserts from this gem will cost the buyer no less than 400 rubles. It is recommended to buy raw stones at special gemological auctions.

The cost of one large, richly colored larimar can exceed $1,000. The high price of minerals is explained by the fact that they are rare in nature, and the extraction of the stone itself requires significant labor costs. Cheap dolphinium can only be purchased in the Dominican Republic, since it is developed here.

How to spot a fake

Natural larimar is expensive, so it is actively counterfeited. Instead of mineral, they offer glass, porcelain or plastic.

To establish the origin of the sample, documents are studied:

1. All larimars are accompanied by documents confirming the origin and quality of a particular specimen.
2. Stone deposits have been discovered in several corners of the planet, but so far only raw materials from the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean come to the market. They should appear in the documents.
3. The name of the mineral is indicated without quotation marks.
4. The description of the characteristics should not contain the words “pressed”, “restored” and the like.

The surface of the mineral helps to distinguish a fake. In larimar it is spotty and heterogeneous; each natural Dominican stone is unique.

The uniformity or repeatability of the pattern indicates imitation, because chaos is difficult to reproduce.

The transition between sections of a natural stone is blurred, while a fake has a clear separation.

Finally, in order not to buy glass or plastic, they evaluate the cost. A real mineral from the Dominican Republic has a number order of thousands of rubles, it is not sold in jewelry departments.

How to distinguish from a fake

“Atlas Stone” is popular due to its magical marine pattern and soft color scheme, pleasing to the eye. Due to the limited amount of mined raw materials, larimars are faked by making imitations from plastic, painted glass and porcelain.

Signs of a fake:

1. A man-made pattern in the form of sea waves is an obvious sign of imitation (real stone has a blurred, soft pattern on the surface).
2. The natural pattern on the surface of larimar is multi-layered and natural; There cannot be two identical copies.
3. If you hold a fake made of cheap plastic in your fist, the warmth of your hand will quickly be transferred to it, while the genuine gem will remain cold.
4. The Atlantis Stone is very rare and expensive, so before purchasing, it is better to study the market value of larimar jewelry in different countries to get an idea of ​​the average price. For example, a silver ring with a coveted mineral costs about $20.
5. Natural stone should be labeled as Larimar, not Atlantis, and the name should be indicated without quotation marks.
6. The Dominican Republic and the Caribbean states can act as the “homeland” of the gem (it is not mined in other places).

Stone care rules

Larimar is not particularly durable, it is vulnerable:

• fades from aggressive household chemicals;
• fades from direct sunlight;
• it cannot be dropped.

Therefore, the product requires appropriate care:

1. It is not advisable to wear jewelry with larimar on a walk in the sun, on the beach or in the pool.
2. The mineral is cleaned from dirt with warm water and baby soap or other mild detergent.
3. When cleaning the frame, you need to make sure that the product does not get on the stone insert.

Accessories with stones should be stored separately to prevent them from being scratched.

We take care of jewelry

Larimar is a gentle mineral. It dissolves in acids, which means that jewelry with it must be removed when doing household work. Stone from the Dominican Republic is afraid of bright light, both solar and artificial - it will lose color.

Decoration with Larimar

Of course, when caring for a product with larimar, ultrasonic and steam cleaning are excluded.

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The hardness of the stone is low and it is easy to scratch; protect it from physical influence.