Natrolite (''Pink Larimar'') (rare)

Item Description

Here we have a fairly hard to find gem of Natrolite, a zeolite mineral that is rarely cut/faceted into stones. This rare and attractive material comes from a discovery in 2021 which produced these beautiful natural pinkish colored Natrolites from a basalt deposit on the island of Nusa Kambangan in Central Java, Indonesia. A quick analysis via Raman Spectroscopy revealed that these Indonesian gems are in fact Natrolite, which makes them the first of their kind that I've seen. If you're familiar with polished Thomsonite from the Great Lakes of the United States can see an instant similarity with this new material from Indonesia. Since both Natrolite and Thomsonite are zeolites, it would make sense that they have a similarity in appearance. When it's polished, these Natrolites actually resemble the patterns seen in the famous Larimar stones from the Dominican Republic (which are actually Pectolite, another zeolite species). Due to the similarity in style to Larimar, we immediately saw somebody apply the trade name "Pink Larimar", to this material, and then the term "Rhodatrolite," ("Rose Natrolite") popped up online. With that said, we're simply calling this material Natrolite, because that's what it is, and it doesn't need a trendy trade name to sell it, because Natrolite of this style and color is already rare and interesting enough. This "Pear Cabochon" gem has a beautiful pattern on the surface, somewhat resembling a leopard print or tortoise shell pattern, but still uniquely distinct and different. In reflected light, the color is a "burnt pink" hue, but when the stone is backlit, it shows a beautiful creamy pink color. These are new, rare and interesting, and if you collect gemstones, it's a must have for your collection, because we don't know how many of them there will be going forward. The deposit could last for years, or it could dwindle as quickly as it was discovered.