Encountering the mere 5% of blue. — Larimar Sphere 38mm

1. The ocean, held in the palm of my hand

The moment I placed it in my hand, I was somehow a little surprised.

It was heavier than I had imagined.
And it was bluer than I had imagined.

38mm in diameter.
A sphere that fits perfectly in the palm of my hand.
Yet within it, there is a blue that seems to stretch on forever.

Patterns like the surface of water and a smooth, transparent depth.
As I gazed at it, my breathing became a little deeper.

2. The only source in the world, and the reality of that 5%

Larimar is mined in only one place: the Los Chupaderos mine in the Dominican Republic, floating in the Caribbean Sea.

In 2016, the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Energy and Mines banned the export of raw, unprocessed stones.
This measure was taken to protect the employment and industry of local lapidary artisans.
Currently, the government controls the mining rights, and only stones extracted by authorized miners are distributed.

In addition to having only one source in the world, it is said that only about 5% of the Larimar mined is of gem quality, displaying those beautiful blue and white patterns.
While this is an estimate that has long been discussed in the industry, it is a figure that confirms the scarcity of high-quality pieces.

It is celebrated as one of the three great gemstones of the Caribbean (Conch Pearl, Dominican Amber, and Larimar) not only for its beauty, but because of the reality of this scarcity behind it.

3. Why are Larimar spheres so rare?

Larimar is a crystal that is exceptionally difficult to craft into a sphere.

The reason lies in its physical properties and the unavoidable 'loss' involved.

While Larimar has a relatively low hardness, it also possesses a property called 'cleavage,' which makes it prone to splitting cleanly in specific directions.
It is as fragile as glass, and polishing it into a uniform sphere requires expert skill.

An even bigger problem is that to create a sphere, you need a raw stone block many times larger than the finished product.
Sphere crafting, which involves 'grinding away' the majority of an expensive and rare raw stone, is an extremely luxurious and inefficient process now that mining is restricted.

That is why artisans are reluctant to make them.
That is why they do not appear on the market. The larger the size, such as 38mm, the greater those difficulties become.

From the 5% of gem-quality stones, only a handful are capable of becoming spheres.
This is the reason why encountering a high-quality Larimar sphere is so rare.

4. The reason it is called a "healing stone"

Larimar, along with Sugilite and Charoite, is known as one of the "world's three great healing stones."

There is no official definition for this title established by any public institution.
Nevertheless, there is a common reason why these three are mentioned together.

① Each is found in almost only one place in the world
Larimar is from the Dominican Republic, Sugilite from South Africa, and Charoite from the Sakha Republic in Russia. Their rarity is a geographical fact, not an exaggeration.

② All are relatively new stones discovered in the 20th century
Sugilite was discovered in Japan in 1944 and officially recognized as a new mineral in 1977.
*Although Sugilite was discovered in Japan, almost all of it circulating as a gemstone comes from the Wessels Mine in South Africa.
Charoite was discovered in 1949 and identified as a new mineral through the research of a Russian mineralogist in 1978.
Larimar was also discovered in 1974.
All three are stones that slept on Earth for a long time before finally being seen by human eyes.

③ Just looking at them makes something relax
These three, which are said to have gentle wavelengths, are often spoken of as an experience rather than a theory.
I believe that is what led to the term "healing."

5. The sphere, a perfected form

The sphere shape has held special meaning since ancient times.

A sphere has no corners and presents the same face from every angle.
It is a shape with no beginning and no end, extending equally in all directions.

The crystal balls used in divination and rituals since ancient times also derived meaning from being spherical.
As a symbol of completeness, harmony, and "that which contains everything."

When Larimar becomes a sphere, its blue loses any specific direction. The expanse of sea and sky dwells equally within the round form.

If there is a sense that a space changes just by placing it there, it may be the quiet power that this shape possesses.

▶ Please also read this article about the sphere shape.

6. About the 38mm diameter

This is a piece we have finally encountered after a long time.

A surface where patterns like the water's surface spread clearly, a surface like clouds drifting in a blue sky—no matter where you look, the soft, melting blue is beautiful.

And—if you look closely, there is a hidden pattern that looks like a heart♡
Try to find it.

The Larimar sphere has a calm presence that makes you want to take a deep breath.
Just by placing it somewhere in your space, you will feel a constant, fresh sense of beauty every time you see it.

I believe that anyone who encounters this blue will never be able to forget it.

Thank you for reading today as well.🤍

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