Collection: Lapis Lazuli

Deep blue, azure blue, violet-blue, greenish blue.

Lapis lazuli stones are opaque, but most stones are included with pyrite, calcite, or both. Small, well-distributed pyrite inclusions can look like stars strewn across the night sky.

Only Afghanistan and Pakistan yield the finest lapis lazuli in commercially interesting quantities. The Colorado material is quite fine but of limited availability.

• Badakshan, Afghanistan: among the oldest operating mines in the world (7,000 years). Lapis occurs in large blocks and crystals in white matrix. Source of the world’s finest lapis.
• Pakistan: solid, deep blue color with no white calcite spots and just a sprinkling of brassy, yellow pyrite.
• Colorado: stringers in limestone, dark color, with much pyrite, from Italian Mountain in the western part of the state.
• California: blue-gray with white spots.
• Studyanka River, Mongolia: light blue lapis, with pyrite.
• The Chilean Andes: gray and blue mixture, color inferior to Afghan material.
• Italy; Labrador, Canada; Mogok, Myanmar.

Can be dyed for a more darker blue

Lazurite

5-6

Good

September

Before cleaning, test lapis lazuli in a hidden spot with a swab dampen with water to see if any dye is present. Normally, if not dyed, lapis lazuli can be safely cleaned with warm, soapy water and a soft toothbrush. Avoid mechanical cleaning, such as steam or ultrasonic systems, and chemical solvents.