Non-Zeolite Minerals

Constant Companions of Zeolites

- BOB JONES

The gem world easily recognizes the lovely blue-white gem called larimar, a recent addition. The gem is really very pretty and colored by trace copper ions. Larimar also has a couple of surprises connected to it.

One minor surprise is that we are told the gem was discovered by Miguel Mendez and Norm Rilling in 1974 as ocean tumbled pebbles in the Dominican Republic beach surf. It was found in the Dominican Republic mountains in 1916. The initial discovery of what we now call larimar was by Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren.

The good Father applied for a mining permit to collect this lovely blue gem, but the government said no. As a result, the original discovery of larimar was forgotten and remained untouched until the 1974 rediscovery. Found at that time by Rilling, he decided to name the blue gem after his daughter Larissa and the sea, hence larimar.

You may ask why write about a lovely blue gem in an article on non-zeolite minerals? It so happens larimar is really the non-zeolite mineral pectolite, which is very often associated with zeolites. When found in cavities of volcanic rock along with zeolites, pectolite looks nothing like larimar. It develops in long, brittle needle-like crystals in radiating fans several inches long and wide.