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Directly from the mine in Barahona,
Dominican Republic
The only place on earth where is found this extremely rare stone.
We bring to you a personally selected
pieces directly from the mines in Dominican Republic to ensure an incomparable
quality and the best prices in genuine (no lab created) LARIMAR stones.
We constantly travel to Barahona (south-western region of the Dominican Republic)
buying personally from the mines and miners. We are your direct link to get
THE BEST OF THE BEST LARIMAR stones!! We buy directly at the location to have
best prices for best quality. We purchased them directly from a LARIMAR mine
owner in BARAHONA!!

VISIT
OUR ONLINE SHOP, Larimar Cabs, Beads, Focal Beads, Rings, Earrings, Bangles,
Slabs.
History
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.
Geology
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.
Los
Chupaderos
The most important
outcrop of blue pectolite is located at Los Chupaderos, in the section of Los
Checheses, about 10 kilometers southwest of the city of Barahona, in the south-western
region of the Dominican Republic. It is a single mountainside now perforated
with approximately 2,000 vertical shafts, surrounded by rainforest vegetation
and deposits of blue-colored mine tailings.
Jewelry
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.
Specifications
* Name: Larimar.
* Family: Pectolite.
o Variety of: Pectolite, NaCa2Si3O8(OH), Sodium Calcium Silicate Hydroxide.
* Composition: Hydrated sodium calcium silicate with manganese.
* Origin: carribean
* Hardness: 4.5-5.
* Color: varies between white, light blue, sky blue, green-blue, and deep blue
(aka "volcanic blue")
* Uses: ornamental stone and semi-precious stone.
* Cleavage: perfect in two directions, but not seen in this compact form.
* Crystal System: triclinic
source: wikipedia.org
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