An appealing ring, made of 925 Sterling Silver with 11.28cts of alluring Larimar of the Dominican Republic and 0.92cts of Neon Apatite of Madagascar.
Precious metal: 925 Sterling Silver
Average Weight: 4.26g
Number of Gemstones: 23
Shape: Oval and Round
Total Carat Weight: 12.20cts
Larimar has currently only been discovered on the island of the Dominican Republic, Larimar (also known as Lorimar) is a pale blue gemstone with an appearance similar to that of Turquoise.
Folklore suggests the locals used to find ‘blue rock’ on the beach and after a barren period, they decided
to follow a stream up into the mountain and found the original source of the rock. However, no one was able to obtain mining rights and in the early 1900’s the stones disappeared into the history books.
Miguel Mendez rediscovered the gem in 1974, in the province of Barahona. Miguel decided to name his discovery by combining his daughter’s name ‘Larissa’ with the Spanish word for sea, ‘mar’. Today, the Los Chupaderos Mine is the only source of the gem on the planet. It is located 10km from the city of Barahona and in the rain forest mountainside where hundreds of small vertical mining shafts have been created.
The gem is a variety of pectolite and it receives its blue coloring from the presence of cobalt. While other pale colors are also found, the original blue Larimar is the most highly prized and set into jewelry. As a fairly new gemstone there is little
folklore or legend surrounding it. The gem is also known by locals as the Atlantis Stone, as it was once claimed by a wise prophet that the Dominican Republic was part of the lost continent of Atlantis.
Apatite
Birthstone Month:
The Apatite gemstone is not associated with any particular birthstone month.
History & Lore:
The word Apatite is derived from the Greek word apate, meaning to deceive. This was primarily due to Apatite often
being mistaken for rarer, more valuable gemstones such as Beryl, Olivine and Peridot.It is said, Apatite enhances the wearer’s learning abilities, self-confidence and creativity. In addition, Apatite is an aid to achieving a deeper state of meditation and to increasing insightfulness. It eases hypertension and decreases hunger, or “appetite”. It is also said to be a good gemstone for unblocking any of the chakras.
Apatite can be found in many colors, including, blue, brown, colorless, green, pink, purple, red, violet and yellow. There is also a “Cat's Eye” Apatite. Brown, green and yellow are the commonly occurring colors, with blue,colorless, pink, red, violet, and the most recently discovered neon blue-green examples being the rarestand therefore, the most valuable Apatite color.