Natrolite (''Pink Larimar'') (recent find)

Item Description

Natrolite is a zeolite mineral, better known to specimen collectors as opposed to gem collectors. You really don't see a lot of Natrolite in the lapidary world. As far as I know there are only a few localities worldwide that produce anything of real interest or value for gem/lapidary enthusiasts. In 2020, we started seeing some beautiful and unique pinkish colored Natrolite gems from Indonesia hit the market. We have bene told that they were found in a basalt deposit on the island of Nusa Kambangan in Central Java, Indonesia. This material at first glance reminded some of the famous Thomsonite specimens from the Great Lakes in the United States, and when the material was polished it very closely resembled the patterns seen in the famous Larimar stones from the Dominican Republic (which are actually Pectolite). It should be noted that 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. 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 "Oval Cabochon" cut 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 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.