Rockhunting Pink Larimar Pectolite in Southern Scotland

 

There are loads of beautiful rocky riverbeds in the west of Scotland, although one or two are protected, or have nesting areas for rare wildlife. As usual, always double check if you plan to have a visit yourself.

Onto the rocks! 

Finding Pink Pectolite

I first came across pink pectolite when I was out on the trail for jasper. Some of the best red/yellow jasper in Scotland comes from Ayrshire. I spent a lot of time hunting it down, as regular readers will know. 

So in between trawling rivers and doing a load of reading, hanging out in the Campsies and checking the River Clyde for some lovely yellow/black lined jasper - I stumbled across this weird pink rock that looked a bit like salmon. A bit of research led me to realise I had been in the right location for pink larimar pectolite - which I had found completely by accident.

Just to be clear: I went on a hunt for the most common rock in Scotland and found one of the rarest types of rock in the world. It's only known in a few places... not unlike the original brightly coloured blue/green of pure Larimar - which is only found in one single place in the entire globe. 

What is Larimar?

Larimar is the trading name assigned to blue pectolite, specifically found in the Dominican Republic. Pectolite is a fibrous stone with a hardness of between 4.5 and 6... making it easy to shape for us hand polishers. It has a perfect cleavage with crystals all facing the same direction, and it is opaque. If light comes through your larimar, it is probably a fake (sorry).

What the relationship between pink pectolite and larimar is, is that one is blue, and one is pink. They are of the same mineral family. The name "larimar" is just used to describe that specific, blue-coloured pectolite. It was discovered in 1974 and has grown in popularity every year since.

What is Pink Pectolite?

 

On the other hand, pink pectolite looks very much like salmon. It is a pinky-peachy colour normally, but I have come across pieces ranging from white through to a yellowish, almost agatized colour. Other locations that contain pectolite report it can be purplish, greenish, or even grey in colour. In the rivers of Scotland, the pectolite is pink.

Larimar and pink pectolite have the same crystal structure. They are found in different places, and larimar may be dark blue, light blue, or aqua green. Larimar is also pectolite and belongs to this group of minerals. I hope I am explaining this clearly enough.

Interestingly enough, some of the pieces we come across have a black face or black sides to it. We thought this was bedrock but Minerals.net have this as tarnishing due to air exposure. The pieces we found have come from the water, so we are assuming air exposure isn't a factor. They record the hardness as 4.5-5, although admit that when tightly packed, the fibres of this crystal can make it denser. Single crystals are rare because they would be so soft that they would erode on touch. 

The crystal structure looks exactly like you had cut into a salmon fish finger on these stones. The pink is lined, all usually radiating out from a single point. This means you sometimes come across sort of star-like formations in the grain of the rock. We have found a few pieces of stone with the ghost-shape of a missing pectolite crystal formation imprinted in it; the pectolite having been so soft it was worn away.

Where does it come from? We were recently in Angus and brought back some suspiciously pectolite-looking specimens to cut with the new saw and get a good look at. It just might be we found an unknown source right here in Scotland.

From now until I give up on the idea, Fox and I will be collecting, shaping, and hand-polishing pieces of pectolite. Some will stay as specimens; others will go out as jewellery. To date we only have a few pieces, but we are working on it. They will be listed as they are ready, on the Stone Circle site.

The Meaning of Pectolite?

Before we wrap up for the day, and as always, I wanted to cover the spiritual meanings associated with the pink pectolite stone. This gem is a sweet replacement for rose quartz, said to imbibe the wearer with a deeper sense of peace and relaxation. If you are suffering from anxiety, wearing some around your neck should help you maintain a calm composure. 

Some sources say that pectolite is incredibly useful for those overcoming addiction, behavioural, or emotional problems. Those going through grief or experiencing trauma will benefit from wearing a piece of pectolite, since it helps to balance out extremes of emotion. 

The colour of the pectolite that you wear will also affect its impact on your life. Pink pectolite is extremely rare, only being found in two or three locations worldwide. It is thought to reward the divine feminine in you, honour your emotions, and embrace realisations of the self. It is a wisdom stone. If enlightenment is what you seek, then add some to your collection and meditate with it.

Larimar is said to be excellent for clearing blockages to the throat chakra. If we had to guess on the pink pectolite, we would say it affects the same chakra, since the makeup of the stones is almost identical.

A Note on Thomsonite

Let's just clear this up once and for all... Thomsonite and pink pectolite are two different minerals. Thomsonite does not always have perfect cleavage, and has orthorhombic crystal structures, as opposed to the specific triclinic crystal structure found in pectolite. They look a little like each other, but they are very different minerals. Beware of sellers marketing Thomsonite as pink pectolite to you. Ask where the crystals came from, if it isn't the west of Scotland, then the pink pectolite they are trying to sell you is likely to be pink thomsonite, instead. You can always read the Wikipedia pages on the two minerals to clarify. You will find both Pectolite and Thomsonite on there. Be aware that you get either mineral in different colour variations, too.

Thomsonite in basalt (source)

And that just about wraps it up on pink pectolite. If you have managed to buy a piece from us - congratulations! If you buy it in late 2020/early 2021, you will be one of our first pectolite customers, which is something to celebrate. It will have been picked, brought home for a clean, polished by hand, and wound up at your door. If that's not an ethically sourced mineral, we don't know what is. Enjoy your new piece of pectolite and be sure to tell us if it does what it is supposed to. It's the last few days of 2020. We could all use less stress in our lives.

(With @rockhounding_fox, @katrionamacmillan)

 

An Interview with a (Rockhounding) Artist

 

For the last few weeks I have been playing host to a good friend of mine. Some of you know him as @geometric_fox already, or by his rockhounding handle as @rockhounding_fox if you follow the Instagram page. His other handle is Kev and he is a German spraypaint artist by trade... though there's a bit more to it than that.

What's so special about this particular German? He's not just a spraypaint artist, he's the OG rockhound. The one that first handed me a lump of quartz and asked me why I wasn't picking it up because it was "Lying around everywhere up there - and you can just take it!". Fox is the dude that first got me into rockhounding, sparking 3 years of adventures all over Scotland... hopefully with many more to come.

As you guys know, lockdown, quarantine, and random rules keep separating us and I live with Kai, who doesn't speak much. When we heard it was coming, Fox packed up his spraypaints, grabbed a six pack of opals (I'm not even kidding) and crossed the sea so we could spend it doing fun things like picking through farmer's fields, climbing hills and mountains, and getting stuck on top of piles of rocks in the dark.

 

It's been a blast so far, but we want it to continue. With the markets closed and no relief on the horizon, we have made the group decision to list some of his art and rocky goodness in the Katriona's Rocks Etsy store. Which is why we are here today, writing a blog to explain why I'm suddenly stocking spraypaint art and the occasional opal.

Introductions are out of the way, so let's dive straight in. I asked Fox some questions and here are his answers... Don't forget you can find information on all the rocks you get from me/us through this blog, so stay a while and have a look around.

 

 

What to ask a German Spraypaint Artist...?

You all know I do rocks and writing, it was genuinely difficult to do an interview! What do you ask a German rockhounding spraypain artist, anyway? It went a little something like this...

What Inspires you/what brought you to art?

I was always really creative and always very drawn to painting pictures when I was a kid. I grew up in an area where graffiti art was a big thing and you saw it everywhere. All these different graffiti’s on the trainline were super impressive, so I started to create some letters and graffiti for myself.

I got into spraypaint art when I was about 13 and my interest in it just kept going. I went to art school for a couple of years and met lots of other different types of artists, but I always knew spraypaint was my preferred method. I painted for years on walls, then I wanted to use the medium of spraypaint to get my ideas on canvas.

The planetary pictures are inspired by meditations. The pictures come to me when I am meditating. 

 

You mentioned meditation, how did you come to create art by using such a spiritual method?

<he repeats the question a few times, English isn't his first language>

I lived in Australia for seven years and got really into lots of meditation practise. I decided I wanted to capture the pictures that I see in my meditations and transform them into something artistic. My artwork is super inspired by the universe. For me, art is just an expression of my feelings and emotions and it's really hard for me to put that into words.

Do you have a favourite artist?

My inspiration is life and what happens during it to create this connection between the 3D world and everything else. I'm inspired by nature, by people, but not really by other artists... I'm not that guy. 

(My best friend is probably my favourite artist but he doesn't have an @.)

The reason I got back into painting was because of Covid. I was working markets selling rocks and the odd artistic piece, when everything shut down I had lots of time on my hands to pick up the spray cans again.

 

Your paintings seem to have two main themes. Some are geometric prints, and some are universe themed. Can you tell us a bit about that?

Yes, the space themed art and the geometric abstract art. Argh it all goes so deep. I can't explain it in a few words. The reason I do the geometric stuff is sacred geometry, which is something you can't explain without time. Sacred geometry is the source of everything, what we are all made of. I like to play with the patterns of sacred geometry, then as well play with the 3D forms.

 

How big an impact does colour have on your paintings?

I like to use natural colours. It's not something I'm thinking about that much while painting. It's just what is in my head at that time. I like a nice fade between dark to bright, but if you met me in person, you'd see I dress in greens and browns to tie in with the trees. I spend a lot of time in the forest.

 

What was your biggest exhibition?

I had one in an art gallery in Germany, but my favourite exhibit was one where we put art in all the empty buildings in my home town. I am always travelling around the world, so I usually do a lot of live painting when I am on the market circuit.

Got any videos we can share?

Yes, but it's super German. It's from the exhibit in the empty buildings of my home town.

 <The video in question>

Last question… How did you come to be a rockhounding artist?

How did I become a rockhounder? Ooh that's hard. It has nothing to do with art. So…I was always obsessed with stones. Like when I was a kid, I found them really fascinating. When I moved to Australia, I felt like I had returned to my roots and as time passed, I got to know myself better. I discovered the magic of the different rocks around the area there.

Rocks are everything to me, I don’t know how to explain it. I am here to bring the rocks out of the earth and get them to where they’re meant to be, It’s as if they speak to me, talk to me, everything. It’s my purpose in this world. I hate to talk about myself like this and I hate that I can’t put into words what it is that drives me. It’s like I am part crystal myself… and you don’t have to tell me how crazy that sounds… but it’s just the truth.

 

 

You can find out more about @geometric_fox in a previous interview by We are Superheroes. Don't forget that you can catch some of his work on my Etsy page, or that you can drop him a follow and make an offer if you see something you like.

The Southern Highlands of Scotland

It's been a while since I wrote an update on the southern highlands and I've learned a lot since I started going there. Nowadays, I know better than to go up in the ice and get stuck. I might have more common sense but I'm still quartz daft.

I was up there on the 27th of December '19, then again in February. I was going to go in March but 2020 happened. Between murder hornets and bat plagues it didn't seem like a good idea to be on any mountains for a few months. I was back in August, then again to show a friend the area in the start of November. 

The November trip was crazy. The water was higher than I had ever seen it. I try not to pick much now because I have enough quartz, but the odd piece still catches my eye.

I have found a fair amount of pyrite up there, as well as garnets, mika schist, rare rutile, lovely smoky, and goethite, which forms on the pyrite to make it black. I only just learned on Brittanica that the goethite forms as a result of weathering iron compounds. It makes sense that it would be there because the mountains are wet. Just all over.

I was at some mines in Spain a few years ago and I am always fascinated by the difference in the hillsides. Our cliffs are craggy and crumbling. Our mountains have bedrock made jagged by streams carving out paths. Spain's mountains aren't like that. They erupt and only spend a few months wet. They crack and dry and crumble in the sun. I always thought it was an interesting comparison.

Quartz crystal

Pyrite with goethite coating

Rutile on Quartz

Garnets in schist 

Remember!

I'm not a geologist and I do this for fun. I really don't know much more than what I pass on to you guys. However, you can join me on Facebook, Instagram and other places if you want to keep an eye on my rock finding adventures.

You can find my old post on this are, in which I got my car stuck up a mountain, here. 

Where to Sell Rocks?

This is the briefest blog ever. I am in the process of setting up an Etsy shop as a switch from Ebay (whose fees are making selling rocks a little pointless).

If you came here to look at rocks then head to Etsy by following this link. If not - carry on. Forget I said anything. Also, I highly recommend reading the one about Wilsontown. It's a nice place. Bit windy though.

Please enjoy this discarded book cover photo while you are here.