The Dominican jewel: Larimar
The Dominican Republic is a country well known all over the world for its paradisiacal beaches, palm, nature, the large number of hotels and for sure for the 3S tourism. However, this island has something which is only found here, unknown for many people and highly prized by the lovers of stone and minerals: larimar.
Larimar is the native stone of the Dominican Republic, a combination of light blue and white color, although sometimes presented with some greenish blue and turquoise. It is an excellent strong stone, a little bit opaque and composed of calcium and sodium. The blue larimar is found only in one place in the world and this is the Dominican Republic, that is so proud to represent this object hard to find.
Larimar is an extremely rare gemstone and it was founded in a mountainous area of the Dominican Republic a long time ago in 1974 by Norman Rilling and Miguel Mendez, a member of the U.S. Peace Corps. The legendary told us that the name “Larimar” has been created by Mendez that mixed the name of his daughter Larissa with the term “mar” which is seaside in Spanish. Sometime later it became one of the rarest and precious stones and it became one of the national symbols of the Dominican Republic.
The stone with its shape and its beautiful blue color are considered the “Caribbean stone” because it represents the colors of the sea and the tropical sky and it can be found only in the Caribbean Sea. Larimar is also known as pectolite blue and it’s extracted from the mine “Los Chupaderos” situated at 10 Km southwest of the city of Barahona and if you are interested you can visit the place by going along a hard, bumpy and dusty road but for sure the experience will be worth!
In Santo Domingo, ou can take the opportunity to visit the Museum of Larimar on Calle Isabel la Catolica, where you can admire data, scientific and detailed information concerning the gemstone. (Contact us for have more info). You can find almost everywhere the Larimar stone in the Dominican Republic and most of all in the touristic areas. Generally, tourists and foreigners love buying these beautiful stone and bring it to their friends or relative as a souvenir. But where can you buy a good quality of stone and make sure that it’s real? Often in the Dominican Republic, people try to sell you larimar bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings and many different kinds of jewelry but not all are real stones. Generally fake larimar stones and jewelry are available at very cheap prices by sellers in the street, beach vendors and online. If you want to buy the real stone and don’t take any risk we recommend you to go in some safe jewelry or even better in the store of the Larimar Museum, situated right in the heart of the Colonial Zone.
Not only does Larimar make beautiful jewelry, but if you observe at this beautiful blue stone you will see inside it the colors of the seaside and sky and you can feel the energies and vibes of the natural elements. The legend says that larimar spread calm, positive vibes and it infuses inner calm and control. It’s also considered a healing stone and its color would seem to harmonize our soul, clear negative entities and bring us love and peace!
Larimar is not only a precious stone but it truly represents one of the Dominican Republic’s treasures, so before to leave the country you should definitely buy some gemstone for you and for your beloved! Finally, enjoy your holidays in the Caribbean and don’t forget to purchase a lovely and precious Larimar souvenir from the Dominican Republic!