Observation from the Frontier: Larimar sources
You really need to travel to the Southwest part of the country, its source, to get the best value when buying Larimar. The cheapest cost will be directly from the mines near Bahoruco but here they really line up waiting for the touristas. However, if you are with someone who knows what they are doing it is still the cheapest source.
Next will be Bahoruco itself where most of the miners live and small workshops abound throughout the town. Again, knowing what you are looking for or being with someone who knows the town ( market ) will help get you get the best deal.
Next in line will be Barahona. However, here you really need to know who you are dealing with because I have heard tales of unsuspecting buyers getting taken, no stones No money !!
However, it is in Barahona where I now make almost all of my Larimar purchases. From raw stones, to unpolished slabs ( Chappa ), to finished stones...cabs, pendants, nuggets, beads etc. After nearly fifteen ( 15 ) years of buying I can basically put in an order for just what I want, size, shape, polished and drilled and have it delivered to me on demand. I also seem to get a " first look " at a lot of Larimar before it moves on down the marketing chain.
In an earlier life, pre RD, I was a jeweler, both as a designer and on the bench. I have a very " select " group of clients for whom I spend most of my year here buying Larimar to their particular specs. Even have one, out of Tucson, who is a master craftsman in the " mirco " type of jewelry you mentioned was your craft.
To end this Observation I will say that if you ever get out this way I will be glad to assist you in whatever way I can. I usually have some 4 - 5,000 grams of " hand selected " Larimar laying around the house at any any point in time. I also am into searching the Bahoruco Mountains for other unusual stones which I cut, shape and polish here in Cabral. Have had a " bounty" for anything unusual that the mountain folks come across for quite some time. Still wish I could find that old man again from Polo who showed me a pigeon sized blue crystal. When I asked where he found it, he just smiled and pointed back up into the mountains behind us.
take care,
KFrancisco de Cabral