Larimar suggestions please

Hi Everyone,
I have some rather nice Larimar coming. I usually work with Ruby, Emerald, Demantoid, Alexandrite and Jadeite and a few others. I have never dealt with Larimar before and would be very grateful for any information and an idea of price. Thanks.

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Hi Chris,
Larimar is a wonderful material to work with. I love the movement that reminds me of water. The price depends on the color and quality of the stone. The more it resembles clear water the higher the price is what I’ve been taught.
Cant wait to see what you have.
Otter

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Hello Christopher,
Larimar is worth more the bluer it is. Hardness is 4.5-5 usually, but can range up to 6. I see it for sale for $5-$10/ct for ring sized stones, but truly wonderful specimens may command more,I suppose. IDK whether you are asking for info about cutting…it is tricky to cut from what I read and I can share info on that if you like. It crumbles easily with shock, so you should be careful setting it. I think I would stay away from hammer setting. -royjohn

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The crumbling problem is due to the fiberous nature of Pectolite, the dominant component of Larimar. Polishiing small stones are a real pain in the xjxhggdf

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Rock rat,
I have a sweet piece that I have been working on for some time now. Cutting this material is a pain in the bum for sure. I pick it up and do some work on it and put it down after a bit because I just can’t decide where I want to go with it. I have never had that problem with any stone before. I don’t know if it’s me or the stone. This is the first time I’ve cut this stone. It has nice color and pattern in it and I’m going free form. It will not be a money stone by any means just a one off at the rate I’m going. :face_with_monocle:
Just for fun for now.
Otter

Hi again everyone, First I have to say that I think this stone is very underrated. I have since posing the question done some research and yes royjohn, I have seen it for as little as $10 a carat you are quite right but much to my surprise have seen it at an awful lot more, as jewellery it seems to command quite a decent price. That aside it is a gorgeous stone that deserves better press. I am as much to blame as any because I can often be a stone snob… ooh ruby, emerald…, sapphire and yet there are so many “semi precious” stones that are quite beautiful. I do notice that some of the big name jewellers (don’t forget guys I make one off designer pieces) have started making use of the amethysts, chalcedony, larimar and the like which would indicate from the prices I see asked that the price level is going to rise considerably. I have some very nice jadeite emerald topaz and ruby to name a few available by the way… :grinning: Will also have some nice large pieces of larimar amethyst etc etc. :joy:

Can you post a photo?

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