Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Hi everybody, just a quick note to tell you that we have decided to include in one of thelarimarshop.com sections a FAQ section to make it easier for our customers to have a reply to their questions at hand!

Nevertheless, we will always be happy to answer any special question that does not appear in this FAQ list.

1. Have your Larimar stones been treated in any way?

Our Larimar stones are pure, genuine, carefully selected at the mines in Bahoruco, southwest of the Dominican Republic, the only place on earth so far, where this unique, awesome stone is found and mined. In the Dominican Republic exists no dyeing stone practice.

2. What is a Larimar specimen stone?

A Larimar specimen stone is a stone where the Larimar has developed in different blue and blue green shades, mixed with other materials or inclusions such as hematite or red dendrites (like these earrings), white calcite, natrolite, fossilized wood, copper, etc. creating gorgeous, fabulous, nature designs. Every Larimar specimen stone is unique!

3. Where are you located?

We are located in Santo Domingo, main city of the Dominican Republic; The Dominican Republic shares the eastern side of the Hispaniola Island; Haiti is on the western side!

4. How is your jewelry made?

Our jewelry is made with top quality Larimar stone brought directly from the mines, to our workshop, where young, native artisans cut, shape, polish and mount this semi-precious gem in 925 silver or 14K gold bezel cups.

5. Why should I trust you?

We have been in the Larimar business for many years and we guarantee our jewelry! Our main goal has been and is to make our customers happy with each purchase. To treat each Larimar lover with top quality customer service and at the end gain a new friend.

6. Do I have to pay customs fee?

Customs regulations are different in every country. We recommend you to check with your customs official office. We are willing to assist you with any shipping instructions for customs purposes. We are not responsible for any customs fee or tax in any country.

7. Do you offer express shipping?

Yes, we offer express shipping with guaranteed delivery of 1 – 2 working days inside US and 1 – 4 working days outside US.

8. How do I receive my order?

All orders are beautifully gift wrapped, packed in a small white box, decorated with an aqua blue lace or a raffia lace, to create an exciting moment when you or that person you have gifted with your order receive your package! In the box we include card with a brief history of the Larimar stone and care tips! The Larimar jewel is placed in a white organza pull pouch.

9. Do you make more than one piece of each design featured in your store? 

Most of the Larimar jewelry we are offering are one of a kind, unique in its design, in its blue shade and pattern; if you see a piece that catches your eyes, don’t let it go! When we have more than one unit in stock of the Larimar jewelry displayed, we indicate quantity available, as well as the variety of blue shades and patterns.

10. How does your reversible Larimar and Amber reversible ring work?

This ring is our best seller, loved by all; the 925 silver bezel cup has on one side Larimar and on the other side Amber with two silver shanks to help turn the bezel cup to one of the two stones you want to wear.

11. How do I take care of my Larimar silver jewelry?

It is recommendable to clean your Larimar jewel after wearing it or from time to time, to avoid accumulation of body oil and dirt. Use a jewelry cleaning or polishing cloth to clean the stone and silver.

You can also wash your Larimar piece with clean fresh water and a few drops of mild soap, using a soft brush to clean dirt from the silver setting, rinse and dry with a soft cloth. The Larimar stone might turn more blue due to the water absorption of the stone.

Avoid long sun exposure, salt water and chemicals. When using household and any sort of chemicals, don’t wear your Larimar jewelry to stay away from any possible damage on the stone and/or silver setting. Treasure your Larimar jewelry for this is an awesome, unique stone and there is no reliable source in the Dominican Republic that can secure that we will still find/have Larimar stone for many years to come!!

“PECAO FRITO” in the Dominican Republic is a must!

When visiting the Dominican Republic, a piece of paradise in the Caribbean, eating fresh fried fish at the beach is a must, it’s part of our folclor; you will get in contact with our way of enjoying life in a healthy way!!!!!

From the Tainos we have inherited our love for fish, we have good fishermen, specially for fried fish or “pecao frito” (pescado frito) as pronounced by most Dominicans. Although we are an island, fish is much more expensive than meat. Dominican household does not often cook fish as they do with chicken, the number one meat; depending of the region, fish is prepared in different ways. However there is a way fish is prepared we all love and that is fried fish at the beach!!

Practically on all the coast of the Dominican Republic, along the beach and seaside towns,  you will find fresh fish, that is, the catch of the day! There are the typical small places, made of four strong wooden posts and a zinc or palm tree roof, along the beach with a few chairs and a small table! Originally all these chairs were made of “Guano”, but during the past few years, plastic chairs and tables are substituting these chairs.

Close to the beach you will normally find rows of food stands, with a large metal “basin” , locally made, with coal used as fuel, and a large frying pan, where different kind of whole fishes are fried after being rubbed with salt, oregano, coated in flour and then deep fried until crispy! 

Most of the time, the frying oil is reused, which many natives believe gives the fish a special tasty touch!
 

When you are at all these stands you get the feeling of a  Fried Fish Fair, here you are being offered delicious whole fried fish in different sizes/weight, by some guys whose job is to bring customers to the stand they work for! The price of the whole fish is between US$ 8.00 and US$ 10.00, but it will be determined by its size/weight and type! The most popular fishes are the Loro (Parrotfish) and the Chillo (Red Snapper). 

You can buy already fried fish or you can ask for the type of fish you want them to fry for you from the fresh variety they have available! The fish will be always served with lemon slices; to eat with the fish you have a variety of fried food such as plantain(tostones), sweet potato (batata), cassava rolls (bollo de yuca) and Johnny cake  (Yaniqueque), introduced by Afro-descendants coming from other Caribbean islands!

You can also go to a restaurant in town or close to the beach, for a more refined ambience, but you will miss the typical Dominican atmosphere! A beer, normally Presidente, is ordered, as well as, soft drinks for the children and at the rythm of a Bachata or a Merengue, which are the loudly played, you will eat your fried fish! Dominicans will prefer to eat their fish with the fingers; knives and forks (plastic ones) will be ignored, to fully enjoy every bit of their fish!

Dominican Republic has it all, awesome tropical sceneries, beautiful beaches,  mountains, rivers, our unique Larimar stone and friendly people who enjoy life in a simple way!!

Funerals in The Dominican Republic

Native Dominicans are a true mixture of African, European and Indian origin. Due to this, as you may understand, we are heirs of their customs and culture, making of us real special creatures!!

This heritage is present in our daily behaviour, attitude, beliefs, feelings, etc. and this is remarkable, for example, we are very noisy, the average Dominican, speak loudly, we are very outgoing, you ask a question no matter where you are to one person and you’ll have answers from all those who heard the question and feel the need to reply too!! Dominicans are always ready to celebrate whatever occasion with a party or a get together and everybody will happily  cooperate with drinks, snacks, ice, music, etc.!

In the Dominican Republic most people are Catholics, followed by Christian evangelists and many other believers of other religions! There is also the Dominican voodoo  introduced by the African slaves, and some influence of the Taino religion! All this mix of races and religions can be observed in different religious celebrations!

For example, in the rural area, when somebody dies, he will be buried in one of his favorite or best clothes, the family will hire women, who will be in charge of crying during the funeral to give the impression that the deceased was a good person!  A delicious cup of hot coffee, food and soft drinks will be served to visitors, who will be talking and telling stories, of the person who has passed away, remembering of course only the good side of his life.

 

There will be nine days of prayers in the house of the departed soul; a table with a white cloth, with pictures of some saints and flowers, is placed in a room, where family and friends will gather to pray and enjoy some snacks, coffee and beverage. This ritual is meant to help the soul leave the house where he lived forever and on the ninth day, the altar is removed from the room. This ritual is also made in towns and cities.

Normally, in the cities, a funeral house is used, where families and friends will come to give their condolences to the mourners and it will be a come and go of people; a religious service will be held and thereafter the burial.

But lately, in the suburbs a new way to bury the dead person, has been introduced.  If the deceased was a drug dealer,  lived a criminal lifestyle or died by any kind of accident, rum and beer will be served or bought, loud music of songs (merengue, bachata, Dominican reggaeton and dembow), loved by the deceased will be played and danced, the cufin will be kept open so that the dead person can be touched by the mourners, family and friends attending the funeral and maybe to have the feeling that he is participating of his farewell party!! Of course there will be crying, shouts, and other sorrow manifestations among the loud music, all of which will accompany the funeral to the cemetery.

Pictures by Listin Diario and sobraodeflow.com 

A glance from our workshop!

As pure Dominican mix, that is African, European, and a tiny bit Taino Indian, we are always trying to talk about the Dominican Republic, talk about how people friendly Dominicans are, talk about our customs, talk about our Larimar and our native artisans, talk, talk and talk, for Dominicans like to talk! This time we decided to give you a glance of some of the process, cutting, shaping, polishing, of the Larimar stone and the 925 silver, to produce our Larimar jewelry. Of course we have accompanied these videos with our contagious tropical music!

We hope you like it!

MANGO, MANGO and more MANGOES

Although the Dominican Republic grows over 200 varieties of mangoes, this super delicious tropical fruit has its origin in the dry zones of India and the SE subtropical woods of Asia. This fruit is produced and consumed since 4000 years in tropical and subtropical areas in the world
(Galan 1999).

It is estimated that the fruit arrived in America around the XVII century via Brazil to Barbados and from there to the Dominican Republic. Mango is grown all over the country, but the region of Bani, in the province of Peravia, is the number one producer and has been baptized as the Mango Capital, becoming a touristic attraction, where every year the very much celebrated Mango Fair is held! It is a joyful reunion of mango lovers, producers, investors, exporters and many others who attend this fair every year.

Dominican mangoes are exported to many countries, included United Kingdom and guess what, it came once to our ears, that prince Charles has a preference for our sweet, delicious mangoes!!!

According to the mangoes exportation data, 70% are Keitt type, 15 % Tommy Atkins and the remaining 15% includes all the other varieties! May is said to be the month of the mangoes although we have mangoes growing during the whole year with concentration from April to september! The most popular mango type is the mango “Banilejo”, which apparently has its origin in Bani!

During the popular revolution of April 1965 in the Dominican Republic, my mother and her family fled to the countryside to their property close to Bani and all around the house there were many trees full of ripe mangoes “Banilejos”. The children just sat under these trees to eat mangoes without any limit!! As you might know mangoes can become a laxative if consumed in big quantities and that happened to all these kids! Still in 1965 there was no electricity in the rural area and most of those houses had no toilets but a latrines, which was used by these kids on a non stop basis! When it was time to take a bath, it was a stroll to a nearby river!! Even though it was a difficult time, they remember it as a wonderful experience, where the mangoes were the center!

Like our typical “mangu” made of mashed plantain, our mangoes is a must try when visiting the Dominican Republic.

Mangoes are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper and Vitamin A and is one of the nutritionally rich fruit with unique flavor, fragrance, taste and thus promoting health benefits to humans.

In the Dominican Republic, fruits grown locally are everywhere, you have street vendors which are standing in different places in the cities and towns during the whole year with the typical fruits Dominicans love, such as bananas, mangoes, papaya, pineapples, water melons, oranges, but to our knowledge, mangoes are the number one. The Dominican street fruit vendors have been  replaced by Haitian immigrants little by little to the point that you see now more Haitian vendors than Dominicans.
Since fruit shakes are very popular in the Dominican Republic, mangoes and milk shake is also among the favorite ones!

Important notice: Pictures in this post were obtain from external sources

Holy Week in the Dominican Republic

From the earliest times, in Christianity, Holy week starts with Palm Sunday, with the celebration of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The Holy week is the last week of the 40 days season of Lent and the week preceding Easter, it is the last week of Christ’s life, remembering especially His passion and resurrection. Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, the victory over sin, death and the devil, as well as, the promise of our justification and everlasting life….

In the New World, Christianity started in the Dominican Republic, introduced by the Spanish conquerors, however with the mixture of Spaniards and African slaves, some changes in costumes and beliefs occurred. Most of our ancestors were Catholics, lead by the Roman Catholic Church.

Still in the sixties in the Dominican Republic, every catholic family would stay true to the religious traditions of that time to be observed during the Holy week!

In that time for our catholic families, going to the beach or to the rivers during the Holy week was unthinkable, inconceivable. Nobody dared going to swim on Holy Friday, for you would turn into a mermaid or something unpredictable!!

On Holy Friday, the children were ordered to stay in their bedrooms, without making any noise; food (no meat permitted) would be served in the room! The special treat would be the traditional sweet red beans! No cleaning or household job was allowed, no music could be heard but the religious or classic music! All the stores, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. were closed, everybody stayed home, watching a movie of the bible, it was like a national curfew!!

But this tradition started to change with the new generations, growing population, foreign influences and the Dominicans slowly started going to the beach, to the rivers, spending the whole Holy week at a resort or just visiting families of the countryside, the main purpose is to have a good time!

Nowadays, the supermarkets have special offers for the Holy Week, they make huge sales, and since schools are closed during the whole Holy Week, many families start leaving the city, traffic jams start slowing down and by Holy Thursday afternoon, it’s a completely different ambience! Those who stay in the city of Santo Domingo take it easy, with no traffic jam, they have the streets for themselves and driving becomes enjoyable.

But at the end one can start thinking: Was the Holy Week established as an excuse for us to have vacation or was it to meditate on the suffering and sacrifice for humanity of the man called Jesus Christ, as appearing in the bible?  

“To be or not to be, that’s the question” (Williams Shakespeare’s play Hamlet)

We finally made it with 14K Gold

Introducing our first Larimar and 14K gold collection!

There is no standard quality guide for our Larimar stone in the Dominican Republic, so far the only place on earth where this unique blue semi-precious stone is mined.

With its ample variety of blue, as well as, blue green shades and patterns the Larimar stone is undoubtedly an awesome art of nature, pleasing the blue tone preference of every admirer.

However, the truth is that the deep blue shades, similar to the azure shade, are considered the top quality, for they are rare and scarce!

Several years ago, before gold price started to climb, many Dominican artisans could afford producing both 925 silver and 14K gold Larimar jewelry and to this end they only used the deep blue Larimar stones for 14K gold and the lighter blue colors for 925 silver!

Larimar Happy Hour Rings

But all this changed when the gold price became unreachable for the average local artisans, who decided to use all blue Larimar quality type they can get and buy for 925 silver jewelry.

The Larimar Shop was born after the gold price reached its highest peak and in view of that people were inclined toward buying silver instead of gold! So we decided to only sell 925 silver Larimar jewelry, but during all this time we were kind of tempted to do also some 14K gold items! 

There are three foreign gold companies exploiting the gold mines in the Dominican Republic (has it all) so we finally, very timidly, took a step forward and decided to complete the beauty of our Larimar stone with 14K gold frame, a perfect combination honoring both stone and metal mined in the Dominican Republic!

Larimar and 14K Gold Pendant

We have been excited with this new challenge, producing some of our best sellers the reversible “happy hour” rings, the Dominican classic teardrop pendants and earrings, as well as, gorgeous stone pendants with 14K gold. Of course, the prices for these items are for wealthy pockets, as you might understand, but we have to give those gold and Larimar lovers their privilege to pay the price!! 

We did a humble 14K gold Larimar jewelry start, firmly looking forward to making other 14K gold designs according to the support we receive from our dear customers!

It's all time coffee time in the Dominican Republic!

Coffee plants have their origin in Africa, and our first coffee plant is originally from Ethiopia.

In the time of the colonization of the Americas, the Dutch are said to have introduced the coffee plant (Coffea Arabica L) between 1726 and 1735 to Surinam and from the French island of Martinique to the island of Saint Domingue (the island of Hispaniola), specifically to the west side of the island, that is Haiti and from there it was introduced in the eastern side of the island, that is now Dominican Republic.

 It is believed that the first seeds were planted by the Spaniards in the provinces of Barahona, the region of our unique national stone Larimar, and Neyba. The first coffee company with industrial production and internal commerce was registered in the Dominican Republic in December 12, 1917! The coffee export business started in 1935 with the largest coffee plantations located in Barahona!

Since the native Indians didn’t know coffee and by the time it arrived in the eastern side of the Hispaniola, few of them were still alive, we assume our coffee habits started with our Spanish heritage and followed by our African heritage!

Coffee became part of our Dominican tradition; every day we start with the first cup of coffee when we wake up, before breakfast, than we have a cup of coffee when we arrive at work, then we have another cup of coffee when we take a break, another cup of coffee after we had our midday meal, then we have a cup of coffee later on in the afternoon and there are those who still have another cup of coffee in the evening.

The first thing you will be asked when visiting a Dominican family is “would you like a cup of coffee?” If you are in the city or in a town, the cup of coffee will be served pure and you will add the white or brown sugar as per your taste, but if you are in a rural area, most probably you will be served the coffee already sweetened!. The Dominican coffee is really dark black, more like a turkish coffee!

With the cup of coffee, depending where the cup of coffee has been offered to you, comes a conversation that will have to do with business, a job application, a family update, an interesting gossip, politics, sports, etc. If the Dominican coffee drinker is superstitious, specially she would love to have somebody read her empty cup of coffee turned upside down so that the drops left in the cup will form “figures” after being dried on the burner. The specialist in this “art” will foretell future and the future of the future!!!

Coffee will be the used to keep us awake, you’ll find it in the funeral house as a treat, on the street, oh yes; we have hot coffee vendors on the street!    

Within the eco tourism programs in the Dominican Republic you’ll find the Coffee Routes, which will bring you in contact with coffee agriculturists of the area, enjoy their folklore in their natural environment. This will encourage them to reforestation, to identify themselves with their habitat and activate their cultural traditions.

Consider including in your forthcoming visit to the Dominican Republic an eco tour, private or in group, and have the experience of drinking a cup of authentic Dominican coffee of the rural area, prepared either in an espresso coffee pot or made the original way, that is, coffee beans are dried in the sun, roasted and grinded, this ground coffee is placed in a homemade cloth filter, resembling a small butterfly net, “colador”, evoking nostalgia for those good old times and boiling water is then poured in the “colador”, strained or sieved and served in a typical metal or ceramic cup! This ground coffee is called “cafe de pilón”, very, very tasty!

Be Dominican, Be Happy!

We always find a way to make it fun!

Dominican Republic occupies the estern side of the Hispaniola Island while Haiti is on the western side of the Island.

When Christopher Columbus discovered this island, he felt in love with its exuberant tropical beauty, sea waters, rivers, mountains!!! What the poor, innocent Taino indians who lived happily on the Hispaniola island, didn’t know was that the arrival of these Spanish conquerors would mark their destiny, no matter how they resisted, only a few of them would survive the mistreatment, diseases and heavy work they had to do. So the Spaniards realized these Indians were not strong enough and decided to bring Africans to the Hispaniola to help the Indians and do heavy jobs.

Playing Dominoes, that's always a must!

The Spaniards brought their culture, the Taino Indian and the African had their own cultures and so the Spaniards first mixed with Taino women and then they were attracted by the dark colored skin of the African women and also mixed with them and for sure some Africans must have mixed with Taino women!  All these mixture of races, cultures and beliefs gave birth to the Dominican people and their folklore!

We Dominicans love to dance, to make jokes of every situation, to get together and have a good time, to play dominoes, speak loud, we also love baseball and follow the Dominican baseball players in every game abroad, we like to put nicknames and this is so common, that when somebody dies, we'll have to mention the nickname to identify the death person! Beer and rum will always be part of every activity and the soft drinks for the children and oldies! There is always a reason for getting together and celebrate, everybody will gladly cooperate with their share, this can be at home, at the beach, on the countryside, at the river, etc!

On the river with drinks in hands!

Xmas is the time of the year when families get together, those who are living abroad come to join their loved ones and it is a non-stop celebration, joined by friends and neighbors!!

If the Dominican government wants to avoid a national hysteria, eggs, salami, chicken, plantain, rice, coffee and red beans must be always available!

Did we mention that we love dancing?!

 The Dominican Republic was occupied from 1822 to 1844 by Haiti and had thirty years of dictatorship from 1930 to 1961 lead by Trujillo, followed by a revolution in 1965 as well as some other difficult experiences, through which the Dominican people learned to cope with every situation and make the best of the worst, to keep smiling and carry on, not to worry be happy no matter what! 

Come and visit the Dominican Republic, you will be enchanted with its breathtaking, secluded beaches, awesome tropical scenery and warm, friendly people, always ready to assist you!  Dominican Republic has it all!!

This is a FIRST for us!

Our First Larimar Jewelry Photo Shooting

Enjoying our Dominican "Yaniqueques"

We love our beaches, we love the sun and we love our so special and unique Larimar stone! So in our efforts to exalt the beauty of this stone, we finally decided to execute a blue thought which had been dwelling in our minds for some time: Take pictures of our Larimar jewelry with a brown suntanned color model close to the sea to demonstrate that the different blue hues of the Larimar stone really mimics the blue colors of our sea waters!!

Hanging in the sun

We took different outfits and some other items to achieve wonderful photos and hit the road to our regular rented beach house in Juan Dolio, which is approx. 25 minutes ride from Santo Domingo city. On our way we could not miss buying and eating the famous “Yaniqueque” (maybe a Dominican version of Jonny cakes) which is so well made by the people of that area.

Isaac, our cameraman in action!

It was a beautiful day, the perfect scenario to start our first photo shooting at the beach!! My, my, my, although we have been dealing with this stunning stone for many years, we were again greatly marveled with the blue beauty and shine of Larimar amidst the blue sky and blue and blue green sea waters!!!

We really enjoyed every photo shoot, we had the opportunity to be creative with all the marvelous surroundings, always with the real intention to display the uniqueness of the Larimar stone and its connection with our Caribbean sea, sky, people, the whole tropical atmosphere!!

After a few hours of hot sun exposure, we decided it was enough for this time and drove happily back home, satisfied with the job done and hoping that our customers will be delighted with our new Larimar jewelry exhibition!!

Amber mined in the Dominican Republic - Part II

PART II

Scientist might still be debating over the possible origin of the different colors of Amber; the kind of tree that yielded the resin, but many causes have influenced the color of the Amber, such as the conditions under which it fossilized, the presence of natural organic and mineral elements, the different temperatures and pressure in the amber layers.

At this moment the most sought after is the blue Amber, which is unbelievable costly. A pound of blue Amber is actually US$ 36,000 approx., and the more pure, that is impurities free, the higher its price. Blue Amber is rare because of its unique fluorescence of beautiful blue shade. There are a few theories about the blue Amber coloration you can find in the Internet if you have special interest in the specific type of Amber.

The wealthy community of China and Japan are the main buyers of blue Amber for there is a belief, that it provides good luck and prosperity among other properties. In ancient time, Amber was also used for healing and protection. Actually, the price for blue Amber is higher than the price for gold! Miners are now only interested in finding blue Amber and many times the buyers are already waiting at the mine site to buy the best quality.

 Some local artisans have moved to the regions where the blue Amber is mined to be able to get hold of some of this blue Amber to make Dominican handmade jewelry to benefit of this blue Amber too.

When buying any Amber on the Internet, one must be very careful for there is also fake Amber for sale. It can be proven only physically, by placing it in salt water. The real Amber will float and the fake one will sink! This plastic imitation can also be distinguished from the natural by rubbing them; the fake one will not become as electrostatically charged.

The Greek were the first to observe and record the electrostatic properties of Amber, the Greek name of Amber -Elektron became a root word for electricity.

The end!

 

Amber mined in the Dominican Republic - Part I

PART I

Amber is a fossilized tree resin; in the Dominican Republic the Hymenaea Protera trees of the tertiary geological period yielded our Amber and according to scientific researches they are between 15-25 million years old. Our Amber has a larger number of fossils trapped within than the Baltic Amber! Many typical insects, frogs, lizards, scorpions and flora elements, represent a valuable fact for science and collectors, which pay high prices for these Amber pieces! The movie “Jurassic Park” gave worldwide fame to the Dominican Amber! 

The beauty of the amber of the Dominican Republic is beyond any doubt unbeatable! 

Dominican Amber has a variety of brilliant colors, with more hues than in any other place in the world. Its transparency and great chromatic richness make our amber very valuable. From the transparent clear yellow, honey, brown, cognac, green, blue to the dark almost black, a fantastic palette of colors that exalts the beauty and charm of our amber.

Our amber is found in different regions of the Dominican Republic. In the area of Santiago-Puerto Plata, in the northern mountain range, the amber is mined by means of horizontal tunnels cut in the rocks and around El Valle - Hato Mayor area, in the eastern mountain range; the amber is mined from vertical shaft dug in sand or clay! Different from the Larimar pits, the Amber pits are not deep enough to allow a man to stand up!

Like the Larimar mines, the Amber miners have to work on a primitive way using, rudimentary tools, such as hammers, picks, and shovels, which are used depending on the soil and sedimentary composition having to cope with high temperatures and humidity. These miners have little to no safety measures just like their fellows the Larimar miners.

Birth of The Larimar Shop Collections

The story behind our Collections

We confess that we are deeply in love with our share of the eastern side of the Hispaniola Island, the Dominican Republic, its land, mountains, rivers, beaches, flora and fauna, and the authenticity of our people.

When we started knowing our unique Larimar stone, which mimics our Caribbean blue sea waters and clear blue sky, also frequently adorned with white clouds, so well, we fell in love with this Dominican national stone and decided to share this beauty, in our Dominican style, with the world!

The reasons that encouraged us to move forward with our Larimar project was the fact that our Larimar stone is offered many times abroad, omitting the truth that this stone is found and mined only in the Dominican Republic and at the same time the publicity of some well known Larimar designers/vendors, telling that they get the best quality of Larimar so that the low grade quality is left in the Dominican Republic for us to use! Also they have underestimated the Dominican craftsmanship and creativity to expose the beauty of Larimar with jewelry that makes it shine!

Contrary to the jewelry artisans, for example, of Mexico, Indonesia, India who learned their skills through many, many generations, our Dominican jewelry artisans hopped into this art approx. end of the sixties, and in the eighties a jewelry school was established in the city of  Puerto Plata, with the aid of the Dominican Development Agency, “Fundacion Dominicana de Desarrollo”, as well as the efforts made by Miguel Mendez (the rediscoverer of the Larimar stone and who named it ) to prepare  jewelers and traders of this unique stone. Nowadays there are several schools and projects to teach jewelry art, which has resulted in better prepared and skilled jewelry artisans. During the visit last year of our actual Dominican president Danilo Medina to the Larimar mines, it was decided to give the Larimar miners and artisans financial and technical assistance to improve their work 

In view of the above exposure, we decided to create our own Larimar collection to make clear that we count with excellent craftsmanship and creative jewelry artisans who can design and make wonderful pieces to display the uniqueness of our Larimar stone and please the different preferences!

To honor the regions and surroundings of the mountain range Bahoruco in the Province of Barahona, where the Larimar stone is mined, we have decided to use the names of the different towns and places therein.

MENA Collection, named after Mena town, located in the province of Bahoruco (or Baoruco), southwest of the Province of Barahona!

The MENA Collection was created to obtain a fresh and modern appearance to exalt the beauty of the blue Larimar stone in stylish 925 silver settings!

The MENA pendant, MENA earrings and MENA bracelet will add a “something” special, a delightful touch to women’s look!

UVILLA Collection, named after Uvilla town, located in the province of Bahoruco (or Baoruco), southwest of the province of Barahona

The UVILLA Collection is an exquisite, elegant design that gives a flash of blue bling to those women who love to wear eye-catching pieces to enhance their femininity!

We are also creating within this collection a variety of UVILLA pendants, necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets to allow our customers to acquire their UVILLA piece with more or less Larimar stones!

MONSERRAT Collection, named after Monserrat, a small town also located in the province of Bahoruco (or Baoruco), southwest of the province of Barahona

The MONSERRAT Collection aims to give the Larimar beads its full glance, combined with Mother of Pearl, creating pristine designs for an appealing, natural touch to womens final outfit!

These collections are the beginning of a new challenge for our strive to place our Dominican Larimar jewelry in a higher position, showing the world that Dominican jewelry artisans and designers have learned the art of making stunning pieces, letting our national Larimar stone shine by its own!  

Dominican Republic Hidden Treasures

COTUI

Cotui is one of the oldest cities of the New World, capital of the province of Sanchez Ramirez, located in the south Cibao region, in the center of the Dominican Republic. Nicolas de Ovando, who was the governor of the Hispaniola Island, the Dominican Republic is on the eastern side of the island, ordered Rodrigo de Trujillo de foundation of this city. Cotui is the name of a Taino leader (Cotoi) who was ruling a well organized taino population of that area.

Gold from Pueblo Viejo, Cotui

Besides their agricultural activities, these Taino Indians were also involved in mining of the outcropping Pueblo Viejo gold deposit. The Spanish rulers mined this gold deposit from 1505 thru 1525 when the mine was abandoned for the gold mines in Mexico. The first African slaves in the Hispaniola Island arrived in Cotui to work at the gold mine.

Archaeological excavation at Pueblo Viejo is proving that this was the first gold mine built by the Spanish settlers in the New World.

Growing rice

In 1562 this city, together with other spanish settlements, was destroyed by an earthquake. It is understood that the Spanish colonization in the Hispaniola island started here!

Ducks coming from Canada

Cotui and Pueblo Viejo, which is a part of the city, are situated in the Yuna valley in the Cibao region, in the central mountain range, which runs from the Haitian border to the Caribbean Sea, with the highest peak of the Caribbean, Pico Duarte of 3,175 m. It is a highly gifted place with rich soils producing agricultural products such as rice, plantains, pineapples, cacao, passion fruits and yams! The beauty of its landscapes is highlighted with its crystal clear river waters and the largest artificial lake of the Caribbean, Presa de Hatillo, Hatillo Dam. Also its prehistoric caves, called guacaras, with drawings and pictographs of the Taino Indians, are of great interest. Thousands of migrating ducks from Canada come to spend winter in this habitat.

Cotui is also rich in gold, silver, bauxite, iron, nickel and marble mines!!

As at December 31, 2013, Pueblo Viejo had proven and probable gold reserves of 9.7 million ounces and a mine life of 25 years and beyond!!

Presa de Hatillo

From Mining.com, which ranked the gold mine in Pueblo Viejo number 7 in their top 10 list of world’s top 10 gold deposits, we quote” It might surprise some that this small island nation is rich in mineral reserves. The open pit mine is very new and began production in January 2013. It also has large silver and copper reserves to complement its gold deposit. As it ramps up to full production, it will also be one of the largest producers in the world, but we’ll save production figures for a separate Top 10 list.

Platanuses - Carnival Custome

One of the oldest Carnival celebrations took place in Cotui, although it was introduced by the Spanish colony, with its cultural influence, it was enriched by African customs after the gold mine was closed.

Cotui is also hometown of Mets pitcher Duaner Sanchez and Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jose Capellan, but the province of Sanchez Ramirez, where Cotui is located, has produced many more baseball players who are playing in the big leagues.

Probably you are already wearing Dominican gold jewelry, who knows, but we like to share our natural beauties, our treasures and much more with you.

Dominican Republic has it all!!