Lapis Lazuli

Product Description

History

Lapis has been used as a gemstone for thousands of years. It has been mined from Afghanistan as early as 7000 BC. It was discovered in ancient burial sites throughout the Caucasus, the Mehrgarh and even as far as the Republic of Mauritania. Even the funeral mask of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh ‘King Tut’ was discovered to have been decorated with lapis lazuli.

This historical stone has a name closely associated with its intense colour. Its name was derived from the Latin word ‘lapis’ meaning ‘stone’, and from the Arabic and Persian word ‘lazaward’. ‘Lazaward” was the Persian name for lapis stone, as well as the name of its mining location. In other parts of the world, words for ‘blue’ were named after the colour of lapis, including the English word ‘azure’; Italian ‘azzurro’; Polish ‘azur’; Spanish ‘azur’ and Romanian ‘azuriu’.

Sources

Today mines in northeast Afghanistan and Pakistan are still the major source of lapis lazuli. Important amounts are also produced from mines west of Lake Baikal in Russia, and in the Andes mountains in Chile. Smaller quantities are mined in Italy, Mongolia, the United States and Canada.

Quality

The finest stones exhibit an evenly distributed colour and have no visible deposits of calcite, although a moderate amount of gold pyrite flecks is considered acceptable. Too much pyrite can result in a dull, greenish tint, while too much calcite can give the stone an overall less appealing lighter blue shade.

An evenly distributed, highly saturated, slightly violet-blue colour with little to no pyrite or calcite is the most prized; stones of this quality are sometimes referred to as ‘Afghan’ or ‘Persian’.