Larimar in Barahona
Larimar is a semiprecious stone used to make jewelry.
Larimar
Dominican Republic
has many natural treasures, as Larimar, which scientific name is
blue pectolite. Its characteristic blue color makes it a unique
fine gem.
This precious ore is located at south-west of the Dominican Republic,
Barahona Province, in a place called Los Chupaderos,
in the mountains. Larimar can also be found in Italy.
The access to the mine is very difficult, and can only be achieved
by four drive wheels vehicles. The first discovery of Larimar was
made in 1916 by Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren, but the mine was open
in 1976, when researches revealed the unique character of this stone,
and it was considered as a fine or semiprecious gem.
“Larimar” is a contraction of “Larissa”
(daughter of one of the men who discovered it) and “mar”
as in Caribbean Sea.
Larimar is sold in the Dominican Republic as jewelry, often associated
with silver or gold.
Depending of the kind of jewel, Larimar can cost from 50.00 $ to
more than 1,000.00 $ American dollars. Larimar can be found in the
whole country, and has its museum in Santo Domingo.
As most of precious gems, people attribute curative virtues to Larimar,
although it’s not proven. But one thing is true: it’s
a beautiful and unique gem.
