Larimar
pectolite (blue variety)
Blue pectolite from a single volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province, Dominican Republic, one mountainside, one country, no substitutes. It was rediscovered in 1974 by Miguel Méndez, who named it for his daughter Larissa and the sea. People carry it for calm, communication and grief. Tradition attaches it to the element water, the throat, heart chakra, Neptune.
Seen · you don't have this one yet
This one does not go in water. It dissolves.
Mineral facts
Hardness
4.5-5 Mohs
Formula
NaCa2Si3O8(OH)
Family
silicate
Where it comes from
Dominican Republic (Los Chupaderos, Barahona Province), sole world source
What it is
Blue pectolite from a single volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province, Dominican Republic, one mountainside, one country, no substitutes. It was rediscovered in 1974 by Miguel Méndez, who named it for his daughter Larissa and the sea. The Atlantis marketing came later and from elsewhere.
What it is confused with
turquoise, chrysocolla, dyed-howlite, amazonite, blue-calcite, opalite
Sky-blue to sea-green with irregular white patches and fine white webbing that gives a distinctive turtle-shell or dappled-water look, the pattern is a network of soft-edged white cells with blue centres. Under 10x the body shows a fine radiating fibrous texture (pectolite grows in needle sprays), producing a subtle silky sheen. Colour is unevenly mottled from deep blue to near-white within one stone. Moderate hardness: a knife will scratch it with pressure.
How to tell
Fibrous radiating internal texture with white turtle-shell patterning is characteristic. Larimar is 4.5, 5, harder than howlite (3.5) and softer than turquoise (5, 6). Dyed howlite shows black spiderweb veins, not white cellular patches. Genuine larimar is expensive; cheap 'larimar' is dyed.
Genuine larimar is untreated. Dyed howlite, dyed magnesite and resin composites are common fakes; some pale material is heat-treated, which paradoxically dulls it.
What it means for you
The Moon is at 1° Scorpio today. Larimar is a silicate, 4.5-5 on the Mohs scale, and it is the stone traditionally carried when the problem is proximity rather than intensity.
You know what this one would do for you. You just don't have it.
Larimar for every sign
Aries
The blue fades in sunlight, permanently.
One mountainside in Barahona Province in the Dominican Republic, and no substitutes anywhere. Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter Larissa and the sea, and the Atlantis story arrived later from somewhere else. The blue fades in sunlight, permanently.
Taurus
Named for his daughter Larissa and the sea.
Blue pectolite from one volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province in the Dominican Republic. Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter Larissa and the sea, and the Atlantis story was attached later by somebody else. The blue fades in sun, documented and permanent.
Gemini
The name is his daughter Larissa and the sea.
Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and built the name out of his daughter Larissa and the sea. It is blue pectolite from one outcrop in Barahona Province and nowhere else on earth. The Atlantis story arrived later, from Edgar Cayce, and had nothing to do with him.
Cancer
One mountainside in the Dominican Republic, and nowhere else.
One mountainside in Barahona Province, Dominican Republic, and no other source anywhere. Pectolite grows in needle sprays, so under a loupe the blue shows a fine radiating texture beneath the white turtle-shell webbing. The blue fades in sunlight and does not return.
Leo
One mountainside on earth, and the blue fades in sun.
One mountainside in Barahona Province, Dominican Republic, and no second source anywhere. Miguel Méndez rediscovered it in 1974 and built the name from his daughter Larissa and the Spanish for sea. The blue fades in sunlight and does not return. The Atlantis story arrived later, from elsewhere.
Virgo
One outcrop in Barahona, and no second source exists.
One outcrop in Barahona Province in the Dominican Republic, and no second source exists. Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter Larissa and for the sea, so the Atlantis story arrived later and from elsewhere. The blue fades in sunlight, documented and permanent.
Libra
One outcrop, one country, and no substitutes exist.
Blue pectolite from one volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province, Dominican Republic, and nowhere else on the planet. Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter Larissa and the sea. The Atlantis marketing arrived later and from other people entirely.
Scorpio
One mountainside, one country, no substitutes anywhere.
Blue pectolite from a single volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province. One mountainside, one country, no substitutes anywhere. Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter and the sea, and the blue fades permanently in sunlight, which nobody mentions at the till.
Sagittarius
One mountainside, one country, no substitutes.
Blue pectolite from one volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province in the Dominican Republic. One mountainside, one country, no substitutes. Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter Larissa and the sea, and the Atlantis marketing arrived later and from elsewhere.
Capricorn
One mountainside, one country, no substitutes.
One mountainside, one country, no substitutes. Blue pectolite occurs commercially at a single volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province, and Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter and the sea. The blue fades permanently in sunlight, which is documented and not debated.
Aquarius
The Atlantis story arrived later and from somewhere else.
One outcrop in Barahona Province, Dominican Republic, and nowhere else on the planet. Miguel Mendez rediscovered it in 1974 and named it for his daughter Larissa and the sea, after which someone else attached Atlantis to it. The blue fades in sunlight, permanently.
Pisces
One mountainside, one island, and no substitutes anywhere.
Blue pectolite from a single outcrop in Barahona Province, which is one mountainside on one island and no substitutes anywhere. Mendez named it for his daughter and for the sea in 1974. The blue fades in sunlight, permanently, which nobody mentions at the point of sale.
Correspondences
What tradition attaches to this stone. Folklore, not chemistry.
Element
water
Planet
Neptune
Chakra
throat, heart
Signs
pisces, leo, aquarius
What tradition says
In crystal lore, larimar is associated with calming speech, with the sea and with cooling anger; the popular 'Atlantis stone' attribution comes from Edgar Cayce's readings and postdates the stone's rediscovery.
Care
- Do not put this one in water. It dissolves or spalls. Dust it dry.
- Keep it out of direct sun. The colour goes and does not come back.
- Salt scratches it. Do not bury it in salt.
- The blue fades in sunlight — this is documented and permanent. Store dark. Moderate hardness plus a fibrous structure means it scratches and chips easily; avoid soaking, salt and ultrasonics.
Common questions
What does larimar mean?
Larimar is carried for calm, communication and grief. Blue pectolite from a single volcanic outcrop in Barahona Province, Dominican Republic, one mountainside, one country, no substitutes.. Tradition links it to the throat, heart chakra.
Is larimar real or fake?
Larimar is not faked often, but it is still worth checking. Fibrous radiating internal texture with white turtle-shell patterning is characteristic. Larimar is 4.. Genuine larimar is untreated.
Can larimar go in water?
No. Larimar dissolves or spalls in water. Dust it dry instead of soaking it, and keep it out of salt.
Rare · sky blue, sea green-blue, white, turquoise with white marbling
Where this leads
This stone belongs to
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FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND REFLECTION. NOT MEDICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, FINANCIAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. How this works