Larimar – Harry & Co Jewellery

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.

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 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.

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.

Reference	URL
Glossary	https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/larimar
Wikipedia	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larimar
Wikidata	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2502146
Knowledge Graph	https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/07gvrw