Lapis lazuli is a beautiful opaque gemstone which ideally has a deep uniform blue color that is free of white calcite veining and virtually free of golden pyrite flecks. It was prized by the ancients who mistakenly called it "sapphirus" after its deep royal blue color. Lapis is a very popular gemstone for men's jewelry, second only to black onyx. For women, lapis is often fashioned into earrings and beads, sometimes interspersed with pearls or gold beads. Lapis is the accepted anniversary gemstone for the ninth year of marriage. Lapis has been highly prized since ancient Babylonian and Egyptian times. An amulet of ..great power" was formed when lapis was worked into the image of an eye and ornamented with gold. Sometimes ft was even buried with mummies. It was recognized as a symbol for ability, success, and divine favor. To maintain the brilliance of lapis, it should be wiped clean with a soft cloth. Do not use a home ultrasonic machine. Care should be taken to protect it from scratches, sharp blows and household chemicals. As part of the fashioning process, lapis lazuli is commonly impregnated with colorless wax or oil to brighten the color. The whiter variety is commonly dyed blue to provide color and/or uniformity. This dying may not be permanent. The prime source of lapis is Afghanistan.
Far away in a remote area of Afghanistan, lies Badakhshan, producer of the earliest records of Lapis, and, some say, producer even of the sapphire tablets of the bible which may well have been made of this material. Badakhshan, some even say, was locality for the Garden of Eden. As for those of you who will never rest till they know how Lapis Lazuli got its name, I give you this tidbit of info. There were, once, ancient mines from which this stone was gleaned, and the name of those mines was Lazurd. Take that name, and combine it with the Latin word for stone, which is "lapis"...and voila!
It was the Bactrians who created and designed some of the earliest inlays with Lapis, sliced flat and fixed into brooches and earrings and sword hilts. It seems there was once a brave and bold king by the name of King Humbaba, who had, in a carefully guarded sanctuary, a rare and wondrous cedar tree upon which grew precious stones. And the rarest of these precious stones, which grew only on the topmost branches of our mystical tree, was the Lapis Lazuli. And as a last little bit of info, the mines in Badakhshan were only worked in winter because the rock cracked more easily in the gem bearing areas.
Alexander the Great, when returning from his forays in this land of Badakhshan, helped spread the splendor of Lapis. The Greeks and Romans used it to make a superior blue paint...which they called "ultra-marine" because the stone was imported from the other side of the seas. In the Middle Ages, Monks used Lapis to create a rich pigment with which to enhance the book binderies of their manuscripts. The pigment was quite expensive, and became a mark of wealth when a painting was commissioned specifying the use of Lapis Lazuli. The Chinese of the day, as they traveled the cross roads reaching into this land in order to trade for this stone, called the Lapis the "dark blue gold stone," and they ground it into a paste which the used for painting their eyebrows. This was clearly before the great cosmetic firms, such as Loreal and Channel, came out with eye-shadow.
Symbol of the heavens; stone of Venus. The Romans believed that lapis was a powerful aphrodisiac. In the Middle Ages, it was thought to keep the limbs healthy and free the soul from error, envy and fear. In medieval Europe, lapis was crushed to produce the precious pigment known as ultramarine that was used in many sacred paintings and manuscript illuminations. Lapis lazuli is still mined at the deposits of the ancient world in Afghanistan. Lapis is also mined in Chile. Small quantities are also produced in Siberia, in Colorado in the United States, and in Myanmar.
Lapis lazuli is somewhat porous and should be protected from chemicals and solvents. Warm soapy water is the best way to clean it. Lapis is not very hard at 5.5 and should be protected from other jewelry when stored to avoid scratches.
Royal blue lapis lazuli, the gem variety of lazurite and one of the most beautiful opaque gemstones, is a sodium and aluminum mineral of considerable complexity. Known as “sapphires” by the ancients, the stone occurs in only a few major deposits around the world, notably Lake Baikal in Siberia, Ocalle in Chile, and the rugged Kokcha Valley of northern Afghanistan.
The ancient royal Sumerian tombs of Ur, located near the Euphrates River in lower Iraq, contained more than 6000 beautifully executed lapis lazuli statuettes of birds, deer, and rodents as well as dishes, beads, and cylinder seals. These carved artifacts undoubtedly came from material mined in northern Afghanistan. Later Egyptian burial sites dating before 3000 B.C. contained thousands of jewelry items, many of lapis. Powdered lapis was favored by Egyptian ladies as a cosmetic eye shadow and in later years it was used as a pigment for ultramarine paints. Pliny the Elder described the stone as “a fragment of the starry firmament.”
The most prized lapis is a dark, nearly blackish blue, much deeper than turquoise and more intense than sodalite or azurite. Lazurite occurs most frequently in lighter shades commonly mixed with streaks of calcite. Although attractive, this material is less desirable and consequently fetches a lower price. Pyrite, a commonly associated mineral, is often liberally sprinkled throughout lapis specimens, to create a striking combination of rich blue and brassy gold.
