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.
Lapis - Main Characteristics
Classification
Mineral
Hardness (Mohs Scale)
4.5
Molecular formula
-
Composition
-
Crystal Shape
-
Color/Spectrum
Blue gamma.
Atomic (Crystal )Structure
-
Index of Refraction
147 - 1.51
Density (Relative)
2.34 - 2.39
Light interaction
Opaque
Uses
Jewelry, ornamental।
The most expensive blue of all timeThe euphonious name is composed from 'lapis', the Latin word for stone, and 'azula', which comes from the Arabic and means blue. All right, so it's a blue gemstone - but what an incredible blue! The worth of this stone to the world of art is immeasurable, for the ultramarine of the Old Masters is nothing other than genuine lapis lazuli. Ground up into a powder and stirred up together with binding-agents, the marble-like gemstone can be used to manufacture radiant blue watercolours, tempera or oil-paints. Before the year 1834, when it became possible to produce this colour synthetically, the only ultramarine available was that valuable substance made from genuine lapis lazuli that shines out at us from many works of art today. Many pictures of the Madonna, for example, were created using this paint. But in those days, ultramarine blue was not only precious and so intense that its radiance outshone all other colours; it was also very expensive. But unlike all other blue pigments, which tend to pale in the light, it has lost none of its radiance to this very day. Nowadays, the blue pigment obtained from lapis lazuli is mainly used in restoration work and by collectors of historical paints.
The stone of friendship and truthLapis lazuli is regarded by many people around the world as the stone of friendship and truth. The blue stone is said to encourage harmony in relationships and help its wearer to be authentic and give his or her opinion openly.Lapis Lazuli harmonizes your heart and mind as it forges stronger bonds between them. When your mind is attuned to your emotions, it is enriched and made more fruitful; when your emotions are illuminated by your mind, they become more clearly understood. With heart and mind working in harmony, mastery of any area of life becomes more attainable. Lapis empowers you to envision and then live your dreams with vitality and a fearless, adventuresome spirit. Its royal blue color stirs memories of the infinite source of life within. Lapis lazuli is an opaque rock that mainly consists of diopside and lazurite. It came into being millions of years ago during the metamorphosis of lime to marble. Uncut, lapis lazuli is matt and of a deep, dark blue colour, often with golden inclusions and whitish marble veins. The small inclusions with their golden shimmer, which give the stone the magic of a starry sky, are not of gold as people used to think, but of pyrites.
Their cause is iron. The blue colour comes from the sulphur content of the lazurite and may range from pure ultramarine to a lighter blue. At between 5 and 6 on the Mohs scale, this stone is among the less hard gemstones.When the cutter turns up his nose ... Many a cutter 'turns up his nose' when cutting lapis lazuli, for as soon as the stone comes into contact with the cutting-disc it gives off a typical smell. An experienced cutter can even tell from the odour how intense the colour is. When polishing this stone, he must handle it gently on account of its modest hardness and not subject it to much pressure. But there is no need for the wearer to worry: a lapis lazuli that has grown matt from having been worn too much can easily be repolished at any time. Lapis lazuli is often sealed with colourless wax or synthetic resin. As long as these substances are not mixed with any colouring agent, this sealing process simply has the effect of improving the stone's wearing qualities. Having said that, the stone should always be protected from acidic substances, and it should not be exposed to too much sunlight.As they did more than 5000 years ago, the best raw stones still come from the steep Hindu Kush in the north-east of Afghanistan.
The lumps of blue rock, extracted from the inhospitable mountains by blasting, are brought down into the valley in the summer months by mules. Nature also created deposits in Russia, to the west of Lake Baikal, and in the Chilean Andes, where the blue rock often has white or grey lime running through it. In smaller amounts, lapis lazuli is also found in Italy, Mongolia, the USA and Canada, Myanmar and Pakistan, but in really good qualities it is rare all over. That is why the prices of jewellery with lapis lazuli vary very widely, from luxurious to quite inexpensive. The prices of this gemstone are largely dependent on the beauty and intensity of the colour. The most popular is an intense, deep blue. Women with a pale complexion, however, often prefer the lighter shades of blue. Finely distributed crystals of pyrites which shimmer in gold and look like sequins will increase the value of the gemstone, whilst a restless, rough or blotchy grain will reduce it. Lapis lazuli is a versatile and popular gemstone which has shown extraordinary stability in the turbulent tides of fashion. No wonder, since it has fascinated both men and women for thousands of years with its fabulous colour and those golden points of light formed by pyrites.
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