LARIMAR STONE

Larimar is a rare pectolite. It is a blue mineral stone that is mainly found in the Dominican Republic. Highly coveted in jewelry because of its low natural production and its remarkable blue color, it is symbolically linked to spirit, depth and emotion. This clearly makes of this gem a stone destined to be used in the creation of exceptional jewelry.

Before landing on this page, you may have searched the terms “Caribbean Turquoise” or “Dominican Turquoise”… Although larimar can sometimes be mistaken for turquoise, this designation was prohibited by decision of the International Confederation of Jewelry, Goldsmiths, Diamonds, Pearls and Stones, known as the C.I.B.J.O.

The origins of the larimar’s name are more personal and romantic than scholarly. Indeed, it is supposed that “larimar” is the result of the contraction between “Larissa”, first name of the daughter of one of the stone’s discoverers and “mar”, which means “sea” in Spanish, in reference to the Caribbean Sea. The word “pectolite”, of its generic name, comes from the Greek “pektos” which means “assembled” and the suffix “- lithe” which specifies the relationship to the stones.

The exploitation of the Larimar stone is recent. It is registered since 1976. Already in 1916, Miguel Domingo Fuertes de Loren, a priest who officiated in Barahona, a village in the Dominican province bearing the same name, asked the Ministry of the Republic for permission to explore and exploit a mine he had discovered that contained a certain blue rock.

The deposit being then completely unknown to the government, this right was not granted to him and the official discovery of the famous stone didn’t succeed. It was not until 1974, that is, several decades later, that a fortuitous discovery was made by two men living in the village of Los Chupaderos, still on the island of Dominica.

Witnessing an exceptional blue color reflecting on the beach near the ” Bahoruco ” river, they were intrigued and went upstream to find the rocky source of this phenomenon, namely the larimar deposit. Among these two curious walkers, there is Miguel Mendez who will make official the commercial name of “Lari-mar” given to this blue mineral as explained above. The exploitation will then begin 2 years after this re-discovery.

If we refer to Plato and his tale on the legend of Atlantis, the idyllic world and therefore the stone of the Atlanteans would rather be located near the Mediterranean coasts. Nevertheless… According to archaeological hypotheses, it is near the island of Santo Domingo that the sunken civilization would be located. It is thus said that Larimar could very well be the stone of the Atlanteans……

• Its mineral group : The larimar stone is a type of pectolite, from the quartz silicate family.
• Its chemical composition: From its formula NaCa2(OH/Si3O8), it is composed of hydrated silicate of sodium and calcium.
• Its crystalline system: Triclinic, a reticular system that only involves 7% of the minerals.
• Its hardness: Between 4.5 for some and 7, but more commonly between 6-7. This gives it a great resistance compared to the average of other pectolites or stones in its category.
• Its inclusions: Hematite (feathery dendrites), natrolite (elongated crystals), calcite (veins), chalcocite (black crystals).
  

Its main deposits

Larimar is known to be found exclusively in the Enriquillo region of the Dominican Republic. However, one also finds some in the northeast of Italy, around Venice. An identical pectolite would also have been discovered in Mexico and elsewhere on the American continent. It remains true to say that its exploitation is mainly done on the Caribbean island because this is where the substantial mines for extraction are located.

The extraction of larimar:

Its extraction requires it to be made ever deeper in the rock in order to find a stone non reddened by the surface iron. The photosensitivity of larimar accentuates its difficulty of extraction as it is valued and contributes to the fact that it is increasingly sought after by professionals as well as by individuals.

Larimar is a mineral resulting from a volcanic rock. It is therefore necessary that specific conditions are met for the precious formation to take place. A natural mixture of copper, iron and other elements present in the surroundings, all bubbling up inside the volcanoes’ chimneys. And this, going up to 250 degrees.

It is in this magma of an erupting volcano and by chemical reaction driven by gas that the whole, splashing and infiltrating the earth’s crust, announce the creation of a unique stone. Finally several million years of cooling, of transformation are necessary to these incandescent spurts, thus leading to their crystallization and to the birth of the blue mineral. The dominant blue color of larimar is thus the trace of copper which had an imposing role in its formation.

Meaning of the stones’ color

Symbolically, the blue color of a stone represents air and water. It conveys purity and beauty of these two essential elements of life. Blue is always synonymous with confidence and serenity but also a certain solidity.

Officially classified as a gemstone since 1979, this semi-precious gem is ideal for the creation of rare, azure-colored jewelry filled with sweet mysteries.

Beyond the manufacture of bracelets, rings or pendants, it is widely used in various stone healing applications. As in reflexology or lithotherapy.

Lithotherapy is a therapeutic technique that aims to achieve wellness based on the virtues of stones and therefore on the impact they have on human beings. An impact both physical and mental. It is then a matter of the energies the stones can attract, diffuse or on the contrary repel. This in order to relieve the body and the spirit.

We are talking here about a healing process using the specific properties of each stone according to the desired benefit. Massage specialists, such as reflexologists, use larimar to identify weakened energy zones in order to revitalize these weak spots.

One can then proceed to massages with a Larimar stone which will have the effect of relieving tensions and reinforcing the body’s target zone. It is particularly recommended as an aid to childbirth. More generally, it is used as a solution for the recovery or regeneration of overworked organs.

Anecdote : La découverte de ce gisement avait été annoncée par un médium américain nommé “Edgar Cayce” qui prédisait la trouvaille d’une pierre aussi bleue que la mer des Caraïbes et qui serait essentielle aux besoins énergétiques de l’être humain.  Sa prophétie faisait référence également à la pierre de l’Atlantide.

Benefits and virtues on the physical level

On the physical level, it works on the drainage of the liver, the spleen and the gall bladder by stimulating the vital centers and by strengthening the adrenals activity. This stone is also effective for joint problems. In short, it is good for the whole body which needs strength, fluidity and renewal every day!

Psychic benefits and virtues

Wouldn’t Larimar just be the stone of balance? To quietly apprehend the inevitable transformations, to let oneself blossom and to be pleasant to oneself as well as to others in a positive energy in everyday life… this is its favorite field.

Therefore, wouldn’t it be simply the stone of happiness? In any case, it encourages harmony, joy, a constructive and peaceful attitude aiming at a happy stability. In this sense, it helps to overcome any emotional charge and to open serenely to change, to materialize our goals and to apply our ideas in coherence with our goals.

It promises to let ourselves be carried away only by positive and beautiful emotions. Its energy acts on the need of sentimental and physical robustness in order to reach tranquility and, by ricochet, prosperity in its widest vision. Stone of the feminine, it acts with subtlety but effectively on the accuracy of communication. That is to say that it participates in enriching human relationships with more authenticity by opposing bad interpretations or intentions of dialogues and by containing aggressiveness. This is especially true between people of opposite sexes.

Among the spiritual properties of Larimar one can thus mention protection. That of a delicate veil which fills us with appeasement and confidence, of a guide which shows us the way of internal and external peace. In other words, an obvious way to move forward while remaining zen! By managing stress, discouragement and the ever-present ailments that can result from it.

Larimar could thus be a welcomed element in the life of introverted people or those who have closed themselves up in a certain bitterness, contrary to their nature. Larimar would also open us to a certain spirituality to conceptualize the possible by stimulating creativity and confidence in life. Therefore, Larimar stones can be a precious help for people who wish to evolve in the artistic field, for people who are looking for their professional orientation or for those who are at a decisive turning point in their lives. Generally speaking, for people who need to make better decisions, projections, gestures and words in their daily lives.

Maintenance is simple. It is enough to carry out a short weekly rinsing, with clear water or distilled water (such as physiological serum). It is especially recommended to wash your jewel or stone shortly after acquisition and never to use salt.

A stone, it must be charged…

If you use your stones for their virtues, know that they must be recharged regularly. One will then place it in the sun on a blue sky day for approximately one hour. If you wear your stone of Larimar in jewel, it is ideally advised to purify it once a week and to charge it almost as often to preserve its full daily effectiveness.

We remind you in passing that the use of the stones for a better-being does not replace a medical treatment. It is a question of transcribing the virtues and benefits of stones in a social context, in their parallel use and relative to certain traditions. Either as a supplement to, but never as a replacement for, conventional medicine.

Astrology

For those who are connected to astrology, this stone is the perfect accompaniment to the following signs of the zodiac: Aquarians, Pisces and Virgo. It can also be appropriate for people born under the sign of the Sagittarius. Beyond the powers one grants them or not, pearls and gems adorn us with the beauty of nature and wrap us in a unique sensitivity. A mounted stone is always a message for the one who offers it as well as for the one who wears it, a deep link that wishes to be elegantly engraved in time. Larimar perfectly contributes to the sharing of a grateful feeling, whatever it may be.