What is this GORGEOUS Stone?

I was on one of my many travels and discovered Larimar.  I fell in love with it immediately!  I quickly learned all about this amazing stone.  It is ONLY found in one region in the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic's Ministry of Mining records show that Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren of the Barahona Parish requested permission on 22 November 1916 to explore and exploit the mine of a certain blue rock that he had discovered. Pectolites were not yet known in the Dominican Republic, and the request was rejected

One day, after a flash flood brought a deluge of rocks and sand down the river which drained into the ocean, pieces of the stone where detected.  That led explorers to find Larimar's source.

It's found under a volcano.  Miguel Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer Norman Rilling rediscovered Larimar in 1974 on a beach at the foot of the Bahoruco Mountain Range, the coastal province of Barahona. Natives believed that the stone came from the sea, and they called the gem Blue Stone. Miguel took his young daughter's name Larissa and the Spanish word for sea (mar) and formed Larimar, to suggest the colors of the Caribbean Sea where it was found. The few stones that 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 soon the Los Chupaderos mine was formed.

Larimar is a type of pectolite or a rock composed largely of pectolite, an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium. Pectolite is found in many locations, but larimar has a unique volcanic blue coloration, which is the result of copper substitution for calcium.

If you see me at an event, don't forget to ask me to show you a natural rock of larimar.  You will see that the white pectolite has traces of copper. I then show you the other side of the rock that is blue. It's the volcanic gas that changes the copper into an amazing blue color.

Larimar is found in only one country.  There is also only one mine.

The bluer the larimar is, the rarer it is.

UNFORTUNATELY, the mine is pretty well sourced. There is more Pectolite, but as it moves away from the gas of the volcano, the pretty blue color is no longer available.

I actually travel to the Dominican Republic.   The larimar mine is owned by the Dominican People and the community where it's located.  I love this about Larimar.  No other nation or businessman can own a part of the mine. It is healthily regulated by the Dominican Republic and a percentage of all sales goes back to the community. 

Unfortunately there are already a lot of fakes out there.  Some stones are dyed to make them bluer, or some of them are stones that look like larimar.  I have come across plastic larimar and other man made stones.  Buyer Be Aware! 

My stones are all hand picked. I select every stone to make sure it is the best color, has no inclusions or cracks.