Description
Larimar, Natural, Faceted Round, 3mm
This price is for one strand 15 to 16 inches long
3mm strands have 128 to 133 pieces
Larimar is a rare blue variety of the mineral pectolite found in only one place on Earth: a single remote, mountainous region in the province of Barahona in the Dominican Republic. While common pectolite is usually gray or white and found globally, Larimar's blue hues occur because copper replaced calcium during intense volcanic activity and tectonic movement around 100 million years ago.
Larimar stones are opaque, cloudy, and/or hazy and white streaks are very common. Its coloration ranges from light sky-blue to deep, vivid Caribbean blue. Deep blue and translucent pieces are considered the highest quality and most valuable. Sourcing it is difficult. Local miners hand-dig vertical shafts deep into rainforest mountainsides to pull the raw stone out from ancient lava cavities.
The Dominican Republic's mining records show that there was a request to explore and mine Larimar in 1916, but it was rejected. Miguel Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer Norman Rilling rediscovered Larimar in 1974 on a beach. Méndez coined the name "Larimar" by combining his daughter’s name, Larissa, with the Spanish word for sea, “Mar.”
In 2011, the Dominican Republic passed Law 296-11 officially declaring Larimar as the National Stone of the Dominican Republic. They also established National Larimar Day, celebrated every November 22nd.
Larimar is photosensitive. Prolonged exposure to intense heat or direct sunlight can cause its rich blue colors to gradually fade back toward lighter shades.
Hardness 4.5-5
This is a natural stone that has had no treatment other than cutting, drilling, and polishing
The source of these beads is Dominican Republic and they are cut, drilled and polished in China
