We’re back from the 2010 buying trip in Tucson and working hard to get all of our beautiful new gemstones out on the floor for your viewing (and buying) pleasure!

First out of the gate has been Larimar. While we’ve had this unique gemstone at Mineral World before, the quality of this year’s Larimar (including jewellery, beads, and raw specimens) is so stunningly beautiful, it’ll make you cry.

For those of you not familiar with Larimar, let me fill you in. This blue beauty of the Caribbean, exists in only one region in the world, close to Baoruco, province of Barahona, Dominican Republic, not far from the border to Haiti. Only workers from the local villages are allowed to mine the stone.

In beautiful shades of soft aqua-blue and green it gets its colour from the copper content. It has a dappled appearance with white cloud-like patterns or cobweb-like reticulate patterns on the surface. The fabulous sea colours evoke the Caribbean waters – no other gem is quite like this. Its hardness varies from a five on the Moh’s scale to an eight and this depends on the colour of the stone; that is, the more intense blue or green the piece is the harder Larimar is.

The rarity of this beautiful stone and the skill required to work with it dictates its high price. There are different qualities of cabochons available, the best having no impurities (grey or brown marks). Our own selection of Larimar is made using premium quality stone.

In Europe in the 1980s, Larimar was commonly known as the Atlantis Stone and even today, customers at mineral and gem shows often refer to and seek the Atlantis Stone, rather than Larimar.

Larimar purports to increase speech and communication skills, support the healing process (thymus), and increase the possibility of regulating thyroid gland malfunction. Larimar enables the flow of energy within a person and helps promote an open mind to changes and improvement. It also softens the stress and tension that problems bring.

Larimar is used in cabochon form in rings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets and earrings but only 10% of the stone mined is suitable for jewellery.

Coming from an island with much humidity, Larimar can be placed in clean fresh water for a few hours to be cleaned and also to absorb some water; you might be surprised of the outcome, specially if your piece has become somewhat clear due to, for example, too long sun exposure.