Lapis Lazuli 青金石
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This ancient rock is an aggregate of several minerals. The three major minerals that comprise lapis are lazurite, calcite, and pyrite. The rock can also contain lesser amounts of diopside, amphibole, feldspar, or mica. Lazurite is the ingredient responsible for producing the gem’s most prized color—bright royal blue. FACTS Mineral: Rock...
This ancient rock is an aggregate of several minerals. The three major minerals that comprise lapis are lazurite, calcite, and pyrite. The rock can also contain lesser amounts of diopside, amphibole, feldspar, or mica. Lazurite is the ingredient responsible for producing the gem’s most prized color—bright royal blue.
FACTS
- Mineral: Rock
- Chemical composition: An aggregate
- Color: Greenish blue to violetish blue
- Refractive index: 1.500, sometimes 1.670
- Birefringence: None
- Specific gravity: 2.75 (+/- 0.25)
ANCIENT: Lapis was treasured by the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome.
GLITTER: Golden flecks of pyrite create a sparkle in lapis lazuli.
WHY WE LOVE THIS GEMSTONE
EXQUISITE COLOR
From ancient times to the present, many civilizations have prized lapis lazuli for its exquisite deep blue color.
6,500 YEARS
Scholars of ancient civilizations believe that the link between man and lapis lazuli stretches back beyond 6,500 years.
ULTRAMARINE
Renaissance painters used lapis to make “ultramarine” blue, an expensive pigment of unrivaled brightness and stability.