Have you seen Larimar before?

I love stone, there is nothing like it. When you hold it in your hands you feel different. Everyone is drawn to different stone for different reasons. Many times while selling jewelry at craft shows I have had customers pick out different jewelry pieces, with turquoise in them, for example, and every piece of jewelry that has turquoise in it they are drawn to because of the way that turquoise makes them feel. They will usually say that it makes them feel good, or feel calm, grounded. I totally agree! I have my favorites too! One of my newest loves is this beautiful Caribbean blue Larimar. I am planning on using these stones in some pieces of jewelry and so I thought Id share for those of you who have never seen it before.

Larimar is a rare blue variety of pectolite found only in the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. It is found in an old volcano in the southwest mountain area of the Dominican Republic in a town called Barahona, over looking the Caribbean Sea. It is the only known place on earth where pectolite is found in the color blue. It has an extraordinary blue appearance similar to the color of the ocean in tropical areas. It was initially discovered early in the 1900's by a Spanish priest but it was never mined. In 1974 it was rediscovered in the volcano by American Peace Corps volunteers Norman Rilling and Miguel Mendez while working in the area. Residents used to find it on the beaches and thought it came from the sea. Broken off pieces had been washing down the river to the sea from the volcano. The name Larimar is a combination of Miguel Mendez's daughter's name LARIssa, and "Mar" the Spanish word for sea. Larimar comes in many colors of blues and greens, all different colors of the sea. To this day miners still use primitive tools such as picks, shovels and hammers to dig in the mines. The only modern items they have to work with are electricity and a air pump. The quantity of Larimar left is the mines is unknown, which makes the supply of Larimar uncertain. Larimar is also known as the Love Stone, Dolphin Stone and Atlantis stone. Many people believe that the area where Larimar is found is part of the lost city of Atlantis. Larimar is thought to represent peace and clarity, healing and love. Larimar is reputed to be helpful for those experiencing stress and anxiety. Its powers are believed to help us view events from different perspectives, to soften and enlighten, to heal the emotional, physical and spiritual body.

Each stone is very unique. My favorites seem to be the slightly darker ones with a more dominate ocean wave pattern. I swear that while looking down upon the stones you fell like you are looking down upon the ocean. It truly is a gem of a stone! I cant wait to use them in my jewelry designs.