There isn’t one Mediterranean blue.
There is the almost-white blue where sunlight hits shallow water. The turquoise of a sheltered bay. The deeper blue beyond the shore. And finally the intense navy that appears just before the sea disappears into the horizon.
Perhaps that is why I am continually drawn to blue gemstones.
Each seems to capture a different version of water and sky.
Larimar
Larimar has an almost aquatic quality. Pale blue is interrupted by white markings that can resemble sunlight moving beneath water.
No two pieces have exactly the same pattern, giving larimar a softness and individuality that feels particularly connected to the natural world.
Amazonite
Amazonite introduces more green.
Its shades move between turquoise, seafoam and blue-green, often crossed by lighter natural markings. There is something relaxed about it - colour without intensity.
It reminds me of water close to shore.
Sodalite
Sodalite takes us deeper.
Its blue is richer and cooler, often broken by areas of white or grey. It has more weight visually than larimar or amazonite and creates a beautiful contrast against warm skin and gold.
Lapis Lazuli
And then there is lapis.
Deep, saturated and unmistakable.
Lapis lazuli has been treasured for thousands of years, and its intense ultramarine colour still feels almost impossible to replicate. Flecks of pyrite can appear like tiny traces of gold suspended within the blue.
Together, these four stones create an entire landscape.
Larimar is sunlight on water.
Amazonite is the shore.
Sodalite is the deeper sea.
Lapis is the horizon.
Four stones.
Four entirely different ways of seeing blue.
