Jul 31, 20203 min read

LARIMAR, A STONE OF ATLANTIS, A CARIBBEAN GEMSTONE

Today we have a very special blog entry dedicated to our Larimar Stone,

National gemstone of the Dominican Republic

Premium Rough Larimar Stone also called "Larimar Heart"

The Larimar is a Blue|Turquoise|Aqua stone rare variety of pectolite, that so far, can only be found on a mountain in the Dominican Republic, located on the Caribbean.

This gemstone has become one of the most beautiful stones in the world due to its incredible ocean and waves pattern that make you feel as if you where immersing yourself in the very same Caribbean waters from where this stone is found.

As the basic information is something that can be easily found in any website, we decided to give a more personal focus to this entry and share with you our experience going inside the mine, as one of the few women that have ever go down the "hole", if not the only one.

Even though we travel almost every month to "La Ciénaga" & "Bahoruco", names of the small towns that are located below the mountains where the Larimar mine is, doing an actual trip to the mine is a whole different story.

As the mine is located in 1000 km above the sea, the road to it is very narrow, upright and dangerous (As if with the mine itself was not enough). It takes approx 30-45 minutes of going up a clift, of course, with a prepared 4x4 jeep, as not every vehicle can get to the top.

The road is beautiful, filled with green bushes on both sides with a few people that once in a while pass along the road, waving at you and giving you a beautiful white bright smile. The local people are extremely friendly, and almost all of them are immersed in the Larimar business, as miners, artisans or local sellers.

Once you get to the top of the mountain, the soil changes from a light sandy color to a grayish blue. This blue is due to residues of the Larimar stones that are usually picked outside the mines.

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE LARIMAR MINE?

The Larimar mine is a complex of different "holes" that can be found through the top of the mountain. Some of them can be seen in the exterior, and for some of them you need to go inside small man made caves inside the mountain, to then be able to see the actual hole.

The Larimar mine system resembles an anthill structure.

This man made caves have a very unstable electric and air conditioning system, to let the miners see in the dark, and breathe when inside the holes.

Going actually inside and down the holes is not something every man that work in the mine do. Some of them have never been inside one, and only work on the outside. As you need to have a very good physical condition, not be afraid of heights or being claustrophobic (A big enemy here). Also, you have to be light weighted for the equipment to properly resist your body when going levels down.

The holes are wet, tight and dark. You need special shoes to walk inside, as the soil is sticky, slimy and muddy. As i went there with flip flops, i had to make my journey barefoot, for me, it made the experience more gracious, i feel i will be grounded for the rest of my life after putting my feets inside the deeps of a mountain.

Me going inside the Larimar mine hole. 16 floors down into the earth.

Once you go down the first level of the hole, a flat squared room awaits you. With approx 1 meter tall and wide and a few meters more in long, another hole can be seen that will take you another lever down. Each level is about 5 floors of a building. And the structure goes down to 100km deep. These corridors are so small, that you can't stand up straight.

Claudé, the kind miner that guided me and took care of me inside the Larimar mine hole. The last 3 pictures were taken inside the hole. As you can see, Larimar is found embedded on the walls.

I indeed was very blessed that day that everything went as expected for me. The Larimar mine, as every mining and construction activity, is dangerous in nature. Small earthquakes, pockets of trapped gas and landslides is something that miners are exposed to.

Next time you hold a Larimar stone in your hands, not only will you be holding a jewel crafted by mama Earth, but also the dreams and hard work of those who everyday risk their life to make that beautiful mineral available for us. This blog post entry is dedicated to all of them! Thank You!