Larimar (Pectolite)
Larimar is a trademarked name because of a uncommon blue, gem-quality variety on the mineral pectolite. Pectolite is typically gray between colour and is absolutely no longer so rare, taking place of lot of places around the world. But blue Larimar is observed only in certain place within the whole world – the Dominican Republic. Gemologically, navy-blue Larimar is a hydrated sodium calcium silicate together with manganese. Its wonderful navy-blue colour is owed in conformity with calcium being changed by means of copper impurities. The arrangement over Larimar is often blended with other substances certain as like calcite or hematite. Its color perform vary beyond white in accordance with light-blue, and from medium sky in imitation of volcanic blue. Most Pectolite is located as an opaque product that is massive takes a good shine and is appropriate cabochons. Larimar is a lovely pale to dark type that is blue of through the Dominican Republic. The colour that is blue due to copper. It is the trade name for Pectolite only from this location and is considered the most useful and most Pectolite that is beautiful cabochon within the world. Several other areas worldwide additionally create material that is opaque for cabochons but these are usually white to gray. Material from Magnet Cove, Arkansas, USA, and Greenland is a pale pink due to manganese. The origin that is just of Pectolite crystals which could be faceted is the Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada. A really find that is small in 1973 produced pale blue-green and colorless crystals up to 5 inches long. Just a few gems that are faceted been cut using this discovery and are also the only known faceted Pectolite gems known to occur.
| Chemical Formula:: | NaCa2Si3O8(OH) |
| Crystallography: | Triclinic – Pinacoidal |
| Crystal Habit: | Crystals may be tabular, but also commonly acicular, to 15 cm; radiating fibrous, spheroidal, or columnar; fine-grained, massive. Twinning: Twin axis [010] with composition plane [100], common. |
| Cleavage: | [100] Perfect; [001] Perfect |
| Fracture: | Splintery |
| Tenacity: | Brittle |
| Moh’s Hardness: | 4.5 – 5.0 |
| Density: | 2.70 – 2.90 (g/cm3) |
| Luminescence: | Fluorescent, pink under SW UV, orange-pink under LW UV; may beTriboluminescent |
| Radioactivity: | Not Radioactive |
| Color: | Colourless, white, pale pink, greenish, pale to dark blue |
| Transparency: | Transparent to Translucent, Subtranslucent, Opaque |
| Luster: | Vitreous to Silky |
| Refractive Index: | 1.594 – 1.642 Biaxial ( + ) |
| Birefringence: | 0.037 |
| Dispersion: | Very Weak |
| Pleochroism: | n/a |
