Wikipedia Entry on Larimar

Larimar
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Larimar is a rare blue pectolite found only in the Dominican Republic. Its colorations vary from white, light-blue, green-blue to deep blue. The deep blue variant is known as volcanic blue.


Larimar after removal from mine and split open to reveal Volcanic blue interior.Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Geology
3 Pectolite
4 Los Chupaderos
5 Mining
6 The Atlantis Connection
7 Jewelry
8 Reference



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History
On the 22nd of November 1916 father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren of the Barahona Parish requested permission at the Dominican Republic's Ministry of Mining to explore and exploit the mine of a certain ‘blue rock’ he had discovered. Since nobody knew what the Catholic priest was talking about the request fell through and the heaven-blue stone was lost in the limbo of Latin American bureaucracy.

It was not until 1974 when at the foot of the Bahoruco Range, the coastal province of Barahona, a flash of blue in the beach sand caught the attention of Miguel Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer Norman Rilling and they scooped down to make geological history. Miguel promptly took his young daughter’s name Larissa and the Spanish word for the sea (mar) and formed Larimar, believing the gem originated from the sea. As it turns out, the few stones they found were alluvial sediment, washed into the sea by the Bahoruco river. An upstream search revealed the in situ outcrops in the range and before soon the Los Chupaderos mine tapped the only Larimar outcropping in the world.

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Geology
Geologically speaking, Larimar is a pectolite, formerly denominated ratholite, an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium. Although pectolite are to be had in nearly every hemisphere, none have the unique volcanic blue coloration of Larimar. This makes it one of the rarest novelties known.


Larimar tube cross section split open and polished.[edit]
Pectolite
Somewhere in the area that would later become the Caribbean, a merely lengthening sliver of solidifying rock was hesitantly emerging from the tumultuous ocean floor, disgorging at its extreme western corner what would later be named the Bahoruco Range on the island of the Dominican Republic. In its constitution it also contained volcanic rocks which in geology are well-known as andesines and basalts.

As the magma or incandescent parts of the interior of the planet were pushed towards outside, the masses became visible on the terrestrial crust and, when cooling off, would give origin to the rock bulk. The chemical components of these incandescent solutions were very diverse. The minerals in form of silicates stood out and were mixed with aluminum components, as well as sodium, calcium, iron, etc... forming therefore essential and secondary minerals. Among all this chemical package, an association which is very little frequent in nature, formed itself: silicium-oxygenate with sodic and calcic elements.

Thus they formed randomly in suitable proportions compact concretions of small masses, which had some brightness and manifold color varieties which are known in geology by the name of pectolite. This name was given by the German geologist Kobell in 1828 as he joined the Greek words pektos ("something formed by different parts") and lithos ("rock"). The pectolite is, therefore, a secondary rock.

The volcanic process could move over the years incandescent masses to the surface that changed the rocks that already had formed there. Limestone rocks started to build up on top of them, but the hot gases and the concentrated fire perforated the rocks creating true tubular chimneys.

Because of the high temperature affecting the incandescent masses that had been pushed by the gases of the interior, the crystallization of some materials took place. When the volcanic lava was cooling off in the chimney, it became columns as a firm support of a mass in which blue andesites, pectolite, basalts and other minerals formed. The dark and gray ashes in the tube, chimney or column, showed a strong contrast with the color of the other materials.

So, by the end of the Miocene, the rocks laid exposed on limestone. The process of erosion and meteorization, as a result of the meteorological conditions (water, wind, temperature...), fractured and moved some rock fragments into the bed of the Bahoruco River, and from here, the waters took them to the coasts of the sea. Because of their color and for having received a polishing by friction, they caused much attention as blue pectolite rocks or Larimar. It should be noted that pectolite are photosensitive, which causes the Larimar to lose its blue coloration over the years.

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Los Chupaderos
The most important outcrop of blue pectolite is located at Los Chupaderos, in the section of Los Checheses, about 10 kilometers southwest of the city of Barahona, in the south-western region of the Dominican Republic. It is basically a single mountainside perforated with approximately 2000 vertical holes, surrounded by rainforest vegetation and deposits of blue-colored dirt from the holes.


Los Chupaderos view.It is a small complex of volcanic origin, composed fundamentally of basalts and porphyry rocks of great diversity. In its interior, there are concentrations of small mineral blocks with this blue color which is characteristic of the pectolite of this country.

Many of the nuclei or small blocks of blue pectolite or Larimar are in situ, which means at the very place where they formed. As a result of superficial erosion some of these broke off and slowly were dragged by the rain waters down the slopes of the hill, from which the waters swept them into the river Bahoruco, and finally they ended up and were deposited in the Caribbean Sea and washed by the waves. This is the reason why initial findings took place at the beaches of Barahona as if Larimar had come out from the sea.

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Mining
The crystallization of the mineral happened when the blue pectolite or Larimar was pushed into the "tubes" or "chimneys" of the volcano by the hot gases and the incandescent matter. For this reason, the localization of the mineral and its subsequent extraction depend on the identification of theses tubes.

Hence, its exploitation forces the miner to excavate deeper and deeper into the old volcano, until today these holes transformed into a true network of tunnel mines.


Larimar miner in vertical hole.The daily life and the hardships of the miners are very strenuous and fatiguing and they accomplish their work only with the help of primitive, simple tools that accompany them in their daily chores from dawn to dusk, the whole year round. These men willingly risk their lives daily trying to bring up the blue stone, since mining it pays comparatively well. So far only one miner is known to have been killed in a tunnel collapse.

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The Atlantis Connection
A very strong defender of the notion that part of Atlantis could be found in the Caribbean was the psychic Edgar Cayce (1877 - 1945) and for this reason many look at Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) as a remnant of sunken Atlantis. Cayce predicted that on one of the Caribbean islands a blue stone would be found with extraordinary healing attributes.

In metaphysical circles Larimar is considered to have potent healing powers, and a general well-being as well as positive auras have been reported by various people when holding or wearing Larimar. Notwithstanding, none of these reports have been scientifically and medically verified.

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Jewelry
Larimar jewelry is available on practically ever street corner and beach in the Dominican Republic. Most jewelry produced is in silver, but high grade stones are mostly set in gold.


Larimar Jewelry set in silver.Quality grading is according to coloration: white is low quality, volcanic blue high quality. Most cheap jewelry ranges between white and light-blue, basically the appearance of a clouded Caribbean sky. High quality jewelry utilizes stones between sky-blue and volcanic blue, often in beautiful combinations of both. Greenish colorations are also known but not well regarded, unless the green is outstandingly intense.

Each gem is singular and guards a serene scene of breathtaking resplendence matched only by the light blue of the Caribbean Sea.

The real blue material is not always found, dealers depend on what is available. The increasing demand of souvenirs in tourism high seasons also reflects on the price. Also, the extent of the deposits have not yet been fully determined and might presently be exhausted. For these reasons the price of Larimar fluctuates in a stock market manner.

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Reference