Larimar

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(Edited)
In 1916, this stone was discovered by Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren, but he was denied permission to explore the area near where he found the stone in the Dominican Republic. So, the story stalled for almost 60 years until another one was found. In 1974, two men —Miguel Méndez and Norman Rilling  — found a similar blue stone on a beach, again, in the Dominican Republic. This time, an exploration upstream on the Bahoruco River was possible, a large outcropping of larimar was found, and a mine was started.

The stone was found to be an unusual variety of pectolite (which is usually gray) and was named by Méndez for his daughter, Larissa, plus the Spanish word "mar" (for sea) because of the Caribbean Sea where it was found. As it turns out, the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean is the only place where Larimar has been found — although gray pectolite is found in Italy, and other places — which makes it a very unusual stone in the world of geology.

Gemologically, blue Larimar is a hydrated sodium calcium silicate with manganese. Its distinct blue color is owed to calcium being replaced by copper impurities. [1]

I found this little ring with a larimar stone in a shop several years ago and was entranced by it. The shop was Avalon in Orlando, FL. The setting is my favorite for jewelry — .925 Sterling Silver. With the semi-precious stone and the silver, items like this are a good investment!

Larimar is a relatively soft stone (4.5 – 5 on the Mohs scale) so care must be taken when it is worn not to hit it against anything or allow it to be scratched. The stone is also sensitive to light and heat, and its blue color can fade if it is exposed to too much light and heat. The most expensive and prized pieces of larimar are a more intense blue than my stone, and varieties that are more whitish are common.

Care should also be taken when storing larimar jewelry so that it is not scratched by another stone, or metal, in the jewelry box. I've had this ring probably 17 years and it is still in good shape because I am careful with it.

 😊

SOURCES
   1 GemSelect.com: Larimar
   2 Wikipedia: Larimar

to learn more about either of these projects, please visit: @heyhaveyamet or @steemterminal


22-Jan-2020



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26 comments
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Bang, I did it again... I just resteemed your post!
Week 19 of my contest just started...you can now check the winners of the previous week!
Pixresteemer is also listed as promoter on The Steemians Directory
!DERANGED
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That looks pretty valuable - love the color of it :)

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Old design on silver makes it a good solid base to hold the stone firmly, never seen one of these stones before, thanks for information linked to larimar never knew light and heat could affect certain stones.

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I think thats we call here an aguamarina (seawater) and It´s a semiprecious stone. Have a nice day my friend. Greetings from Argentina. I saw your post at PYPT! or #PYPT .

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Wonder why the priest was denied exploring the area. It seems they were very protective of it for some reason. I wonder what was going on historically then. Beautiful stone!

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I'm not one that oohs and aahs over jewelry but looove vintage jewelry like this ring, what a gorgeous stone, loved the story behind it!

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Very beautiful piece. Due to it's sensitivity might be a bit difficult to wear everyday.

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The larimar stone is lovely in the ring.

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That's a really pretty ring. Nice find!

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It's beautiful piece of vintage jewelry! I loved the colour and the story behind it!

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It is a beautiful stone and I used to mistake it for turquoise! There are so many beautiful gems found in the Caribbean and South America, most with very limited veins.

How fortunate to have found this all those years ago, gemstones have certainly gone up in price over time.

Thank you for all the valuable information on these stones. It is indeed helpful for anyone looking at this gorgeous stone. I love the setting on this also!

Have a great day!

!tip

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Fascinating story. I did not know about this stone

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Very pretty stone @thekittygirl 👍

!trdo

Posted using Partiko Android

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Howdy there thekittygirl! That's a wonderful little stone and ring! I could use some investments like that, that's very wise and what an interesting story behind the stone, well done!

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Thanks for the history of the Larimar stone. Interesting story. You have some amazing finds.

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I like your stone there @thekittygirl, though the style and color would not do for me.
My favorite color is green, my birthstone is "Peridot which is generally a pale transparent green.

source
Unfortunately, I don't have any... yet

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