Caymanite And Larimar Semi Precious Stones Of The Caribbean

T he Caribbean's outer             cutting wheels and grinders need   beauty is enchanting -          diamond tips in order to cut and   dazzling turquoise seas,        polish it. A great deal of time    incredible beaches, and colorful      and effort goes into learning how  tropical panoramas. But two of        to work with Caymanite in order    the countries found here also         to create artistic pieces.         have their own brand of “inner                                           beauty” - semi-precious stones        In addition to jewelry, Caymanite  found nowhere else on earth.          is also fashioned into                                                   sculptures, objects like business  Caymanite                      card holders, and used in inlaid                                         tables. Its distribution is        Found only in the Cayman Islands      almost exclusively limited to the  on Grand Cayman's East End and        Cayman Islands.                    the bluff on Cayman Brac,                                                Caymanite is rare, indeed.            Larimar                     Volcanic activity created the                                            semi-precious stone. When             Found only in one remote area of   volcanic ash poured down on rocks     the Dominican Republic, the same   below, it formed sediments. Over      volcanic forces which created the  time, those sediments hardened        island itself forged this          into rocks, creating a type of        exquisite gem. When scorching      dolomite. Because each layer's        gases pushed molten material into  mineral content differed, each        the volcano's chimneys, its        layer's color varies. In the          minerals crystallized, creating    polished stones, this creates         the stone's unique properties.     colored stripes in earth tones –      Over the eons, erosion broke off   browns, yellows, and whites.          bits of stone, washing them into                                         the Bahoruco River where they      Due to Caymanite's hardness,          tumbled against rocks and other    debris. By the time the stones        eventually arrived at Los          reached the river's end at the        Chupaderos, where most Larimar is  beach, this polishing action          mined today. Miguel Méndez named   revealed the marbled sea-blue,        the stone by combining his         green, and white hues Larimar is      daughter's name, “Larissa,” with   now prized for.                       “mar,” the Spanish word for sea.                                                                            We can only speculate when people     Unique to the lush Bahoruco        first saw Larimar, but more than      mountain range, Larimar's          a century ago, the area's             scientific classification is blue  inhabitants likely came across        pectolite. Although other types    the blue stones washed up on the      of pectolite exist in locations    beach. They may have later traced     around the world, none are quite   its origins to the mountains. By      like Larimar. Copper gives it its  1916, at least one person knew        characteristic blues and greens,   where to find it - a priest in        with blue stones considered more   Barahona parish, who applied for      valuable. In addition, some        the right to set up a mining          stones contain red, brown, or      operation. His application was        gray shades. Due to its coloring,  never approved, however, and          it's sometimes mistaken for        Larimar remained shrouded in          turquoise or blue jade.            mystery for years to come.                                                                                     According to folklore, Larimar     In fact, it continued to go           helps relieve stress, radiates     unnoticed by the world at large       healing energy, aids               until 1974, when geologist Miguel     communication, and enlightens the  Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer      mind. Because of claims that the   Norman Rilling found some of the      Dominican Republic was the         stones on the beach. By following     ancient site of Atlantis,          the river up the mountain, they       symbolized by dolphins, some       people call Larimar “the Atlantis     Republic carry the widest          Stone” or “the Dolphin Stone.”        selection, of course, but Larimar                                        can also be found in a small       With all the excitement about         number of shops in other           Larimar, there's even a Larimar       countries. In addition to          Museum in Santo Domingo, the          jewelry, Larimar is also           Dominican Republic's capital          available in sculptures and        city. Located in a well-restored      polished slabs.                    historic building, the museum                                            contains exhibits about the gem       Travelers can take home a true     and a store with hand-made            piece of the islands with Larimar  Larimar jewelry.                      and Caymanite items. And those                                           lucky enough to find Larimar       Only buy jewelry from reputable       elsewhere can enjoy its soothing,  stores because blue glass has         ocean hues without a trip to the   occasionally been passed off as       Caribbean.                         Larimar. Stores in the Dominican       About the Author: Karen Joslin writes for http://Anguilla-Guide.info, http://Curacao-Guide.info, and other Segisys travel Web sites. © 2006, Interactive Internet Websites, Inc. Article may only be reprinted if it is not modified in any way, and if all links remain live. 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