Pectolite
Larimar
Dominican Republic
6.75 carats
Pectolite usually occurs as translucent globular masses or crystals showing tabular habit. The material is colourless, white, bluish, greenish.
Massive pectolite from the Dominican Republic of light blue to sky-blue colour may be offered as a turquoise substitute under the trade name Larimar. Pectolite from Alaska has been used as a jade substitute.
Pectolite Gemstones by Colour
This table shows the variety of hues this gemstone can be found in. Click on a photo for more information.
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Pectolite Gemstones by Size
This table shows distribution of Pectolite gemstone sizes that are listed on this site. This can give a good indication as to the general availability of this gemstone in different sizes.
Contributed photos
Lightest:2.01 cts
Heaviest:54.0 cts
Average:13.47 cts
Total photos:29
Do you have a larger Pectolite? Why not upload a photo?
| General Information | ||||||||||||||
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| Varieties/Types: | Larimar - Blue variety of pectolite found in Dominican Republic | |||||||||||||
| Chemical Formula |
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| Pectolite Simulants | ||||||||||||||
| Sometimes used as jade simulant - Blue Chart Gem Identification, Herve Nicolas Lazzarelli, 2010, p 5 | ||||||||||||||
| Physical Properties of Pectolite | ||||||||||||||
| Mohs Hardness | 4.5 to 5, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Specific Gravity | 2.74 to 2.90, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Tenacity | Brittle, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Cleavage Quality | Perfect, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Fracture | Splintery, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Optical Properties of Pectolite | ||||||||||||||
| Refractive Index | 1.595 to 1.645, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Optical Character | Biaxial/+, Gemmological Tables (2004) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Birefringence | 0.028 to 0.038, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Pleochroism | Nil, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Dispersion | Very weak, Gemstones (2009) | |||||||||||||
| Colour | ||||||||||||||
| Colour (General) | Light blue, light green, colourless, gray., Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Causes of Colour | Blue, Cu2+ in octahedral coordination, Pragmatic Spectroscopy For Gemologists (2011) | |||||||||||||
| Transparency | Transparent,Translucent, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Lustre | Silky, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Fluorescence & other light emissions | ||||||||||||||
| Fluorescence (Short Wave UV) | Yellow-orange common and phosphorescence, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) | |||||||||||||
| Fluorescence (Long-Wave UV) | May show orange-pink fluorescence under (material from Bergen Hill New York, USA) and a yellow fluorescence with green phosphorescence(Paterson, New Jersey, USA), Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||||||||||
| Crystallography of Pectolite | ||||||||||||||
| Crystal System | Triclinic, Blue Chart Gem Identification (2010) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Habit | Globular masses, the rarer crystals showing tabular habit, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) More from other references | |||||||||||||
| Geological Environment | ||||||||||||||
| Where found: | Occurs in nepheline syenites., Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||||||||||
| Further Information | ||||||||||||||
| Mineral information: | Pectolite information at mindat.org | |||||||||||||
| Significant Gem Localities | ||||||||||||||
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