Dominican Republic to Open Training School for Larimar Craftsmen

By: - March 13th, 2012

Above: Larimar (Photo: CIG)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

It is a stone found only in the Dominican Republic. And now, a semi-precious stone called Larimar will get its own school in the country.

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce announced that it would be installing a working school to train craftsmen who work with Larimar, aiming to improve the range and quality of jewelry made from the stone.

Work has begun on a project to create the school in the community of Bahoruco, according to Industry Minister Manuel Garcia Arevalo, who was speaking during a tour of a Larimar mine.

The Dominican Republic is currently exporting significant amounts of the stone to China and other nations, and the country hopes it can add to that value.

The country’s Central Sugar Corporation will reportedly sign an agreement with the government to support the school, and a search for teachers has already begun, according to engineer Pena Rubio.

About 10,000 Dominicans depend directly and indirectly on the extraction of Larimar for crafts and jewelry, according to the government.

The Dominican Republic has been extracting Larimar from its mines on the road from Barahona to Pedernales since 1975.

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