Larimar is a rare blue variety of the mineral pectolite that is found in only one place in the world—a small mineral deposit in a remote mountain in the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean.
As recently as 1974, a Dominican Republic resident and a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer discovered brilliant pieces of larimar on the pristine beaches of the Dominican Republic. An earthquake had shaken the mountains nearby and caused the hidden gems to dislodge and tumble into the local river.
The two explorers decided to call the beautiful stone larimar — a name that combined the Dominican’s daughter’s name, Larissa, with the word Mar, the Spanish word for sea. A unique name for a unique stone.
Due to its unusual origins, larimar can only be found in a very small region of the mountain. After 30+ years of mining, the higher quality stones need to be mined from more than 500 ft. down.
Larimar was formed when volcanic activity in the mountains of the Dominican Republic caused a unique collection of minerals to crystalize together. When they cooled, the varied, textured, and luminous larimar we know today was the result.
The larimar mines are considered artisan mining since they rely mostly on human, physical labor. A cooperative of local villages is responsible for digging up each piece of larimar. They also ensure that members of their local communities are the only ones mining the larimar.
The vast majority of mined larimar has qualities that make it a poor choice for high quality jewelry, such as a greenish palette and inclusions and flaws. Only a fraction of mined larimar is of the highest grade, having a pleasing blue color palette and no cracks or inclusions.
The unique color and patterns within each larimar stone are the result of mixing and cooling elements that occurred as it crystallized into a stone. As a result, no two stones are exactly alike.