A primer on how not to be cheated.

It was only a matter of time. As the awareness and popularity of larimar has grown, crooks have surfaced to take advantage of that fact to make a quick buck. Just as they have done with designer handbags, jewelry and watches, rogue vendors have sprouted up on Ebay (and even some brick & mortar stores) selling "larimar" that is nothing of the sort. Here are some things to look out for.

Lab-created beads

These are the easiest fakes to spot; they look nothing like larimar! The listings for these items usually, though not always, state that they are reconstituted or lab-created.  Don't let the word "reconstituted" fool you - this was never larimar to begin with.

Imitation stone

This is an example of a synthetic stone that is appearing more and more frequently in the marketplace. An unlucky Ebayer paid $48 for this exact piece. It is very pretty - but worthless.

In fact, you can buy this imitation stone in bulk from R.T. RESEARCH in Tempe, Arizona. They bill themselves as the "world's largest manufacturer of imitation semi-precious stone."

It's just not larimar

This "larimar" item from Hong Kong, is described in an Ebay listing as "100% Natural Gemstone!"  It may or may not be a "stone" but it is definitely not a larimar stone.

But it does somewhat resemble larimar.  And people are regularly fooled; the company that is selling this bracelet sold 44 fake larimar pieces during a two-week period in February 2008! The telltale sign is that the "stones" in every piece appear to be almost identical. With genuine larimar every stone is unique.

Beware the "quotation" marks

This is another example of the same sort of imitation stone as in the pendant shown above. But it's harder to spot as a fake because the "stones" are much smaller.

The seller of this item wrote Sterling Silver "LARIMAR" Ladies Link Bracelet as the title.  They apparently believe that the use of quotation marks absolves them of the need to disclose the true nature of the material they are trying to pass off as "larimar."

A few more examples

       

These photos illustrate the typical telltale sign of counterfeit larimar - uniformity of cut and color. Genuine natural larimar stones are like snowflakes - no two are exactly alike.

The bottom line

Larimar is a singularly wondrous stone that was formed by natural volcanic events that have occurred only one time in the history of the planet. Not in a laboratory in Tempe or a factory in China. We think it's a crime that unscrupulous vendors take advantage of people who are unfamiliar with the stone to sell them worthless rubbish that they are passing off as larimar.

The Larimar Quality Alliance

was formed by concerned larimar manufacturers and retailers, with the express mission of combating the deception that is being perpetrated on the novice larimar buyer. We don't want you to be a victim.

Thank you