Larimar

History

• Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren requested permission to explore and exploit the mine of a blue rock in 1916.
• Larimar was rediscovered by Miguel Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer Norman Rilling in 1974.
• The stone was called 'Blue Stone' by the natives.
• Larimar is a combination of Larissa (Méndez's daughter's name) and the Spanish word for sea.
• The stones were found in the alluvial sediment washed into the sea by the Bahoruco River.

Geology

• Larimar is a type of pectolite, composed largely of pectolite, an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium.
• Larimar has a unique volcanic blue coloration due to copper substitution for calcium.
• The pectolite fillings are a secondary occurrence within volcanic flows, dikes, and plugs.
• The Bahoruco River carried the pectolite-bearing sediments to the sea.
• The tumbling action along the streambed provided natural polishing to the blue larimar.

Los Chupaderos

• Los Chupaderos is the most important outcrop of blue pectolite.
• It is located in the southwestern region of the Dominican Republic.
• Los Chupaderos is surrounded by rainforest vegetation and deposits of blue-colored mine tailings.
• It is a single mountainside with approximately 2,000 vertical shafts.
• Los Chupaderos is about 10km southwest of the city of Barahona.

Jewelry

• Larimar jewelry is a local specialty in the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean.
• Most larimar jewelry is set in silver, but high-grade larimar can also be set in gold.
• Quality grading is based on coloration and mineral crystal configuration.
• Larimar can come in different colors due to the presence of other minerals or oxidation.
• The blue color of larimar is photosensitive and fades with time if exposed to too much light and heat.

Additional Information

• List of minerals
• List of minerals named after people

Larimar Data Sources