Larimar: The Complete Guide

Larimar is one of the few gemstones found in only a single location on Earth. This sky-blue to blue-green pectolite from the Barahona province of the Dominican Republic is a gem discovered (or rather, rediscovered) only in 1974 by Dominican Miguel Mendez, who named it using his daughter Larissa’s name and the Spanish word for sea (“mar”). The colour — sky blue with white patterns resembling clouds or water — is unlike anything else in the gem world. Larimar has developed a passionate following in Caribbean, coastal, and bohemian jewellery markets.

What Larimar Is

Larimar is a blue variety of pectolite, a sodium calcium silicate mineral (NaCa2Si3O8(OH)) belonging to the triclinic crystal system. The blue colour is caused by copper substituting for calcium in the crystal structure — an unusual and relatively rare colouring mechanism (copper is also responsible for the neon blue of Paraiba tourmaline, though in a very different crystallographic context). Pure pectolite is white or colourless; the copper content that creates the blue of larimar is specific to the Barahona locality.

Larimar has a Mohs hardness of 4.5-5 — quite soft — and is found as compact masses with a distinctive sky-blue to blue-green colour and white to grey patterning. It is always cut as a cabochon. Due to its softness, larimar is best suited to pendants, earrings, and brooches rather than rings subject to daily wear. It polishes to a waxy to vitreous lustre.

Single Source, Single Story

The Los Chupaderos mine in the mountains of Barahona Province is the world’s only significant larimar source. The deposit was formed when volcanic activity pushed copper-bearing hydrothermal solutions through calcium-rich lavas, creating pectolite with an unusual blue colour. The geographic isolation of this deposit means larimar’s supply is genuinely finite — there is no backup source, no alternative locality, and no way to replicate the specific geological conditions that created it elsewhere.

This single-source characteristic is larimar’s most powerful commercial narrative. Like tanzanite, larimar comes from one place on Earth. Unlike tanzanite, it has not yet achieved global mainstream recognition, meaning it still represents an opportunity for professional jewellers to educate and differentiate. Clients who discover larimar through a knowledgeable professional often become devoted collectors.

Quality and Colour Grades

Larimar quality is assessed primarily on colour saturation and depth. The finest larimar shows the deepest, most saturated sky blue — sometimes with a slightly greenish component — with minimal white or grey patterning. As copper content decreases toward the edges of mineralised zones, the colour becomes lighter and more washed-out.

Volcanic blue (highest grade): deep, saturated blue, minimal white, vivid colour throughout

Sky blue: medium blue, some white patterning, attractive and commercial

Light blue: paler colour with more white, commercial grade

White with blue tints: lowest gem grade, significant white content

The white patterning in larimar, while sometimes considered a quality detractor, can actually be aesthetically appealing when it resembles clouds, waves, or other natural patterns. Some clients specifically prefer patterned larimar over uniformly blue specimens for its organic visual character.