There are some gemstones you choose for a collection, and others you fall in love with long before you ever think about selling them. For me, Larimar was the latter.
I first discovered Larimar years ago, around the early days of my jewelry business. At the time, I was supplying my designs to a local boutique in Barbados when I noticed this beautiful pale blue stone among the jewelry there.
I had never seen anything quite like it.
The colour was what caught me first. Soft blue with little wisps and markings of white running through it, almost like looking up at a bright Caribbean sky. I remembered the name, went home, looked it up, and discovered something that surprised me even more.
Larimar was a Caribbean gemstone.
Discovering a Gemstone From the Caribbean
When we think about the Caribbean, gemstones aren’t necessarily the first thing that come to mind. So learning that Larimar is found in the Dominican Republic made it even more fascinating to me.
Once I knew what it was, I started noticing it more.
I saw Larimar in other jewelry stores around Barbados, usually presented as a fairly high-end stone. Many of the pieces I remember were set in sterling silver, sometimes alongside diamonds, amethyst or other gemstones. The designs tended to be quite polished and formal.
What I rarely remember seeing was Larimar set in gold.
But by then I wasn’t simply admiring it through shop windows. I wanted some of my own.
Over the next few years, I collected a Larimar ring and earrings, and I was eventually gifted a bracelet. It became a gemstone I genuinely enjoyed wearing, long before there was ever a Summer Gems Larimar collection.
Finding the Larimar I Wanted for Summer Gems
When I rebranded the business as Summer Gems, I knew I eventually wanted Larimar to become part of the collection.
I didn’t want to rush it, though.
Like many natural gemstones, Larimar varies considerably from stone to stone. You’ll find different shades, patterns and qualities, from stones with grey or green undertones to those beautiful pale blues that originally made me stop and take notice all those years ago.
That pale blue was what I wanted for my first Summer Gems pieces.
In 2025, I was finally able to source Larimar that I was happy with. By then, my gemstone stud earrings had become an established part of the Summer Gems collection, so the design choice felt obvious.
Rather than creating something elaborate, I wanted to make Larimar into the kind of jewelry I actually like to wear: simple, beautiful and easy to reach for on an ordinary day.
And so the Signature Larimar Studs were born.
One of our Summer Gems customers wearing her Larimar studs.
A Different Way to Wear Larimar
I also wanted to offer the stones in a gold setting.
That was particularly exciting for me because, from what I had encountered over the years, so much Larimar jewelry was made in silver.I especially loved seeing Larimar in a gold setting. The warmth of the gold against that soft Caribbean blue felt fresh to me, particularly after years of seeing the stone mostly set in silver.
The studs launched toward the end of 2025, just as we were heading into Barbados’ busy season and the Christmas gifting period.
Naturally, I expected them to attract attention then.
What interested me more was what happened afterward.
People continued choosing them.
Larimar seemed to connect with people for different reasons. For someone visiting Barbados, that blue can become a reminder of a Caribbean sky or the sea they don’t quite want to leave behind. There’s also something special about taking home a Caribbean gemstone in a piece of jewelry handcrafted here in Barbados.
For local customers, it’s simply a beautiful, wearable stone with a connection to the region we call home.
And sometimes you don’t need a bigger reason than that.
The Pair You’ll Probably Find Me Wearing
Perhaps the easiest endorsement I can give the Larimar studs is this: if you happen to meet me on any given day, there’s a very good chance you’ll find a pair in my ears.
I wear them a lot.
The pale blue works with almost everything in my wardrobe. They’re colourful without being overpowering, the size is just right for everyday wear, and they’re easy enough that I don’t have to think too hard about putting them on.
They just work.
And I think that’s part of why I’ve enjoyed seeing other people choose them too.
Larimar started for me as a beautiful blue stone I happened to notice in a boutique years ago. I had no idea then that I would eventually be sourcing it myself, setting it into my own designs, and watching those designs become some of the pieces my customers return to.
Some gemstones become part of a collection.
This one became part of my own jewelry box first.
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