At the begin of the century, the Catholic priest Miguel Domingo Fuerte Loren of Barahona sent a solicitude to the Treasury Department of the Dominican Republic to obtain the privilege of exploration and exploitation of the mine. However, for whatever reason, he never succeded and the ” blue stones ” remained in oblivion.
In 1974 Norman Rilling, a member of the American “Peace Corps” in company of the Dominican Miguel Méndez, found blue pectolitas at the coast of Barahona. On following the vestige upstream of the Bahoruco river, they achieved to reach in the outcrop at “Los Chupaderos” in the section “Los Checheses ” about 10 kilometers southwest of Barahona, in the south-occidental region of the Dominican Republic. Read More→
Larimar is a rare form of pectolite, which was discovered in the 1970’s and is only found in the Dominican Republic. It has an extraordinary blue appearance similar to the color of the ocean in tropical areas. Hardness varies between 5-7 on the Mohs scale with the darker blue stones ranging closer to 7.
The name “Larimar” comes from a combination of Larissa and Mar and was given to the stone by a Dominican who named the stone after his daughter Larissa and Mar, the Spanish word for sea. Read More→
Larimar is a blue pectolite, and a result of vulcanic activity, which ocurred many million years ago on the island of la “La Hispañola”. Its crystallization took place when the volcanic lava was cooling off as columns in the tubular “chimneys”, in which these pectolites, andesites, basalts and other minerals formed.
Pectolite around the world Read More→
On 22 November 1916 Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren of the Barahona Parish requested permission at the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Mining to explore and exploit the mine of a certain blue rock he had discovered. Since nobody knew what the priest was talking about the request fell through and the blue stone discovery was delayed.
It was not until 1974 when at the foot of the Bahoruco Range, the coastal province of Barahona, a flash of blue in the beach sand caught the attention of Miguel Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer Norman Rilling and they scooped down to rediscover larimar. Natives, who believed the stone came from the sea, called the gem Blue Stone. Miguel promptly took his young daughter’s name Larissa and the Spanish word for the sea (mar) and formed Larimar, by the colors of the water of the Caribbean Sea, where it was found. As it turns out, the few stones they found were alluvial sediment, washed into the sea by the Bahoruco River. An upstream search revealed the in situ outcrops in the range and before long the Los Chupaderos mine tapped the only known larimar outcropping in the world.
Larimar jewelry is available in the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere in the Caribbean. Most jewelry produced is set in silver, but high grade stones are often set in gold.
Quality grading is according to coloration: white is low quality, volcanic blue high quality. High quality jewelry utilizes stones between sky-blue and volcanic blue, often in combinations of both. Greenish colorations are also known but not well regarded, unless the green is intense. Red colored inclusions in Larimar indicate traces of iron. It should be noted that pectolites are photosensitive, which causes the larimar to lose its blue coloration over the years.
Larimar is a variety of pectolite, or a rock composed largely of pectolite, an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium. Although pectolite is found in many locations, none have the unique volcanic blue coloration of larimar. This blue color, distinct from that of other pectolites, is the result of cobalt substitution for calcium.
Miocene volcanic rocks, andesites and basalts, erupted within the limestones of the south coast of the island. These rocks contained cavities or vugs which were later filled with a variety of minerals including the blue pectolite. These pectolite cavity fillings are a secondary occurrence within the volcanic flows, dikes and plugs. When these rocks erode the pectolite fillings are carried downslope to end up in the alluvium and the beach gravels. The Bahoruco River carried the pectolite bearing sediments to the sea. The tumbling action along the streambed provided the natural polishing to the blue larimar which makes them stand out in contrast to the dark gravels of the streambed.
Its powers are believed to helps us view events from different perspectives, to soften and enlighten, to heal the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual body.
Larimar stimulates the heart, throat, third eye and crown chakras promoting inner wisdom. It represents peace and clarity, healing and love. Larimar is reputed to be helpful for those experiencing stress and anxiety.
Globes of Larimar are sometimes used to lay on the throat to heal infections. A large globe of raw Larimar, the size of a billiard ball can cost $500 or more.
Throughout history, mankind always had a special fascination and interest for jewels, especially when they were made of very rare stones.
The Dominican Republic is a unique country in the world because of its deposits of Larimar. This semiprecious stone ascends in importance and recognition at an international level, because of its peculiarity and the rare beauty of the colors it display.
What colors can be found in Larimar? Most people only know the blue and green interlaced with white. But did you know that it is part of the intrinsic characteristics of Larimar that it also appears in different shades, just like the Caribbean ocean and combined with grey, brown and red?
