Larimar
Larimar is the trade name for a blue variety of the mineral pectolite.
Larimar is the national stone of the Dominican Republic, the world’s only known source.
Origin of the name: In 1974, Miguel Méndez, an expert in artisan crafts in the Dominican Republic, named the new material Larimar, combining his daughter Larissa’s first name with “mar,” the Spanish word for sea.
Synonyms and trade names: Occasionally referred to as Atlantis stone, Caribbean stone, or Haitian turquoise.
Can be confused with: Turquoise, amazonite, calcite, smithsonite, hemimorphite, dyed howlite, and others. Glass imitations are also known.
Localities: Exclusively found in the Filipinas Larimar mines, Sierra de Baoruco, Barahona Province, Dominican Republic.
Handling: Larimar is relatively soft (hardness 5), brittle, acid-sensitive, perfectly cleavable, and should therefore be handled with care.
Worth knowing: Several stories surround the discovery of Larimar. However, the following seems clear:
- 1916: Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren (Barahona parish) applied on November 22 for permission to exploit a “blue rock” he had discovered. Since pectolites were completely unknown in the region at the time, his application was rejected.
- 1974: Norman Rilling, a US Peace Corps volunteer, rediscovered blue stones in Baoruco, which were soon identified as pectolite.
- 1975: Miguel Méndez and lawyer Luis Augusto Gonzales Vega founded a company to market the stone. In the founding documents, the stone was initially listed under the trade name Travelina before Méndez coined the name Larimar.
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