Description: A rock composed mainly of lazurite, with minor amounts of calcite and pyrite.

• Specific Gravity: 2.7 - 2.9
• Refractive Index: 1.5
• Hardness: 5.5

Lapis Lazuli, is the blue rock loved by the ancients, from Mesopotamia, to Egypt, to Persia, to Greece and Rome. The ancient city of Ur has a thriving trade in lapis as early as the fourth millennium B.C.
The name is international, from the latin, “lapis”, which means stone, and from the Arabic, “azul”, which means blue.
When lapis was first introduced to Europe, it was called ultramarinum, which means beyond the sea. Ground lapis was the secret of the blue in ultramarine, the pigment which painters used to paint the sea and the sky until the nineteenth century. Lapis was also popular in inlays. 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.

Lapis is a dark blue microcrystalline rock composed primarily of the mineral lazurite. It often sparkles with golden pyrite inclusions.
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.

Fact: Lapis lazuli or lapis for short is mostly lazurite but commonly contains pyrite and calcite. The name means blue rock and is always a brilliant blue with violet or greenish tints. The rich blue color is due to the sulfur that is inherent in the structure of lazurite. In a piece of jewelry the small crystals of pyrite found in lapis blend with the setting, looking like gold in a gold setting and silver in a silver setting, giving the stone a personality all its own.
The best source of lapis is in the remote mountains in Afghanistan. It is also found in Chile and in lesser quantities elsewhere.
It was first mined (in Afghanistan) 6000 years ago. The rock was transported to Egypt and present day Iraq and later to Europe where it was used in jewelry and for ornamental stone. It was even ground down and used for paint.

Fancy: Lapis is one of the oldest spiritual stones known, it was used mainly by priests and royalty in ancient Egypt. Many believe that the Biblical sapphire was actually lapis lazuli.Through the ages, lapis has been associated with power, wisdom, love, and most frequently as a stimulator for psychic abilities.
It is believed to stimulate inner vision, give enhanced wisdom, insight and good judgment. Lapis lazuli is named from the Persian ‘lashward’ meaning blue, and its uniquely intense colour has been a source of delight for over 6000 years.