Larimar is a rare variety of the mineral pectolite, which is colored greenish-blue to blue due to the replacement of some the mineral’s fundamental calcium content with copper. Most larimar also contains whitish streaks, with higher-value stones usually possessing a strong contrast between these and the adjacent deep blue regions.

In the early twentieth century, the as yet unnamed material was first discovered in the Dominican Republic by Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren. However, his attempts to exploit the source were denied by local authorities who were unaware of the material’s existence. The deposit subsequently lay dormant for almost sixty years before being rediscovered by a member of the US Peace Corps and his local friend, with the latter naming the new gem material after his daughter, Larissa, in combination the Spanish word for “ocean”.

To this day, the Dominican Republic remains the world’s only source of larimar.