An appealing pendant made of 925 Sterling Silver features 14.63cts of alluring Larimar of the Dominican Republic.
Precious metal: 925 Sterling Silver
Average Weight: 2.07g
Number of Gemstones: 1
Shape: Oval
Total Carat Weight: 14.63cts
Birthstone Month:
This gemstone is not designated as a birthstone.
History & Lore:
Larimar has currently only been discovered on the island of the Dominican Republic. Larimar (also known as Lorimar) is a pale blue gemstone with an appearance similar to that of Turquoise.
Folklore suggests the locals used to find ‘blue rock’ on the beach and after a barren period, they decided to follow a stream up into the mountain and found the original source of the rock. However, no one was able to obtain mining rights and in the early 1900’s the stones disappeared into the history books.
Miguel Mendez rediscovered the gem in 1974, in the province of Barahona. Miguel decided to name his discovery by combining his daughter’s name ‘Larissa’ with the Spanish word for sea, ‘mar’. Today, the Los Chupaderos Mine is the only source of the gem on the planet. It is located 10km from the city of Barahona and in the rain forest mountainside where hundreds of small vertical mining shafts have been created.
The gem is a variety of pectolite and it receives its blue coloring from the presence of cobalt. While other pale colors are also found, the original blue Larimar is the most highly prized and set into jewelry. As a fairly new gemstone there is little folklore or legend surrounding it. The gem is also known by locals as the Atlantis Stone, as it was once claimed by a wise prophet that the Dominican Republic was part of the lost continent of Atlantis.