Genuine Larimar 
DIRECT FROM THE MINES.

PHOTOS ARE ALSO SHOWN WITH A LIGHT BOX BEHIND TO SHOW YOU THE 
GENUINE VARIGARITY OF THE STONE
Not all Larimar is translucent 

Note. LARIMAR is only available from The Dominican Republic Mine Consortium.

Examples from elsewhere are fake, coloured stone. Mainly India or China.

The Cooperative only export from
the Dominican Republic.
Wholesale Traders sell direct from there only.
We buy from the traders.
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Larimar Gemstone Information..

In the heart of Bahoruco’s mountains, these mines are the only place in the world where larimar is found–a semi-precious, turquoise-colored stone you will see set in jewelry across Dominican stores. Workers spend eight to nine hours a day underground, mining this rare blue stone from holes that run as deep as 40 meters (150 feet). You can explore the mining area with local tour operators should you ever visit, 
and witness workers climbing back out of holes with raw larimar stones. 
Our contact at the local larimar workshops select a Choice AAA / AAB / ABB Quality pieces of  Larimar and observes the cutting and polishing process to make sure we get the stunning quality that we offer you you our customers.

LARIMAR THE DOLPHIN STONE
In 1916, a Dominican priest, Miguel Domingo Fuertes de Loren, asks the government permission to explore a mine he had discovered, which contained a peculiar blue rock, but his demand was brushed aside.
Thus, the larimar deposit was only truly discovered some decades later, in 1974, by a delegation led by the Dominican doctor Miguel Mendez and a member of the Peace Corps (an dependent american agency, created in 1961, whose mission is to defend peace and friendship around the world – especially regarding the third-world countries). The mine was first exploited in 1976 by the local population.
Indeed, the Dominicans had noticed a light blue shade at the bottom of a river that empties into the Caribbean Sea. By going against the flow, they discovered the mine upstream, at the top of a mountain.
The natives believed the stone came from the sea, thus naming it the blue stone. The doctor Miguel Mendez, by associating his daughter’s name LARIssa and the spanish word for sea MAR, came up with the name Larimar.
In 1979 the stone was classified semi-precious stone and is today depicted as a Unique Precious Stone.
Being blessed with a great rareness but also a unique color and a delicate transparence to light, the Larimar is used to create exceptional jewelry we stock and the polished mineral stones available in our store.

About Larimar - History and Introduction.

Larimar is a trademarked name for a rare blue, gem-quality variety of the mineral pectolite. Pectolite is normally gray in color and is actually not that rare, occurring in many locations around the world. But blue Larimar is found only in one location in the entire world - the Dominican Republic. Geologically, blue Larimar is a hydrated sodium calcium silicate with manganese. Its distinct blue color is owed to calcium being replaced by copper impurities. The composition of Larimar is often mixed with other materials such as calcite and hematite. Its color can vary from white to light-blue, and from medium sky to volcanic blue.

Mining The Stone.

This is extremely difficult.  
Not only does the location of the mines make them extremely difficult to access,
but the area is subject to the hurricane season, often causing the mines to be closed for 5 months out of the year.

The stone must be mined by hand; dynamite or heavy machinery can destroy it.   
So excavation is extremely labor intensive.  Miners, using only hand tools, must find and follow the small veins of Larimar. 
The best quality stone is often found as far as one hundred feet below the surface; 
digging through all that rock by hand obviously takes quite a bit of time.

Then there is the rain. The torrential rainfall during the five-month hurricane season 
often shuts down the mines. Sometimes the mines flood and the mountain can unleash devastating mudslides. 
These factors contribute further to the difficulty of extraction, and limit the supply of the stone even further.


THE BEST OF THE BEST

Once the rock is excavated, it is cut and graded. 
Generally, less than 10% is of jewelry quality.

We get choice picks for our polished slabs
in a variation of grades.


GRADING LARIMAR

In actuality, there is no standardized gemological grading method for Larimar.  
Within the industry, several factors are typically considered in assessing the quality of the stone, 
with colour and patterning being the primary ones:

1.    Colour – the deeper, "volcanic" blues are considered by some to be "best".
larimar can vary with light to deep and a green deep tinge

2.    Patterning – the richer, more interesting, the better.
block Blues, grens with lines of white veins, a Swimming Pool reflection is also considered lustrous

3.    Luster - is it glossy? Polished stones are always prized

4.    Clarity - is it free of obvious defects? (Pits, cracks, carbon deposits, etc.)
Natural gemstone with always have a varied look. 
Fake Larimar is coloured porcelain and is very easily recognised.

5.    Translucence - can light pass thru a portion of the stone?
Not all larimar is like this,the Best will have this but also the best can have a nice blue pool effect in the pattern.

6.    Chatoyance - a luminous band with a silky luster (like that typical of cat's-eye).
Shimmer effect, not easily photoed,and can only typically be seen by the naked eye.

Please note that this is natural crystals formed over millions of years and
 therefore may have some natural imperfections. This also means that each crystal we sell is
 completely unique and so may differ from the pictures shown,

THE SPECIMEN IN THE PHOTO IS THE ONE YOU WILL RECEIVE 
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Please note, we are not responsible for your customs fees.
All CN22 and CN23 forms are filled out direct from the platform.
(with every delivery company used depending on your order)

We will post your item with all paperwork 
and once posted it is your responsibility
for the fee to be paid if applicable

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