The first official mention of Larimar dates back to 1916, when a Spanish missionary asked for permission to mine the stone. However, this request was denied, and the gemstone remained largely unknown. In 1974, Larimar was rediscovered by Norman Rilling, a member of the United States Peace Corps, and Dominican artisan Miguel Méndez. They found fragments of the stone along a beach. Méndez later named the gem by combining his daughter’s name, Larisa, with the Spanish word for sea, “mar.” Larimar is also known by alternative names such as the “Atlantis Stone” and the “Dolphin Stone.”