Nearly 100 million years ago when Kiskeya’s rugged volcanic mountain ranges arose from the sea floor, one volcano was born which contained a very special, mineral rich superheated steam from deep within the earth. Under tremendous pressure, this unique hydrothermal fluid found its way into volcanic tubes and crannies where it cooled and became the gemstone Larimar.

Millions of years later, people came to the island. Its ethereal beauty and abundance allowed them to live peaceful, fulfilling lives and they called the island their mother because it provided for all of their needs, just as mothers do. It is said that they knew of the special stone that lay in the rugged mountain range, but they didn’t share this knowledge with their European conquerors or the famous pirates who came after them.

It is probably no coincidence that the next people to learn of the beautiful, serene gemstone were an American Peace Corp worker and a Dominican geologist who were working together as a team. For people who have eyes that can see, the world is a place of beauty filled with wonders. As Norman Rilling and Miguel Mendez were walking along a beach in the Dominican Republic, they saw a stone of the most beautiful Caribbean blue lying in the sand. Enthralled by its stream-tumbled loveliness, they followed the nearby Bahoruco River back towards its source and came across an outcropping of brilliant blue Larimar in a mountain forest covered with orchids and bromeliads. It was time for the mother of the earth to share her hidden gemstone with the world and so Miguel Mendez named the stone after his beautiful daughter Larissa (Lari) and the beauty of the sea (mar) – a powerful feminine presence that sailors and pirates have loved for centuries.