1.9" Natural Blue Lapis Lazuli Worry Palm Stone Pyrite Crystal Calcite Mineral
Location: Afghanistan
Weight: 1.3 Ounces
Dimensions: 1.9 Inches Long, 1.6 Inches Wide, 0.4 Inches Thick
The item pictured is one you will receive.
Hardness: 5.5
Lapis Lazuli is not a single mineral but a combination of lazurite, calcite, and pyrite, with trace amounts of other minerals. Contrary to popular belief, it does not contain lazulite. Its name literally means “blue stone,” derived from Latin and Persian or Arabic.
Humans have treasured lapis lazuli for over 6,500 years. Ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome prized it for its vibrant blue color, valuing it as highly as sapphire or turquoise.
The finest lapis comes from Badakhshan, a remote mountainous province in present-day Afghanistan. Towering peaks rise as high as 17,000 feet, and the rugged terrain is dotted with treacherous ravines. People have long braved these harsh conditions to collect the azure treasure of high-quality lapis lazuli.
This has been true since at least 700 BC, when the region was part of Bactria. Remarkably, the mines active then are still producing today, making them the world’s oldest known commercial gemstone sources.
Historically, merchant caravans transported these precious stones across Bactria to the great cities of the ancient Greeks, Indians, Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Persians. Even Marco Polo mentioned these mines in 1271, though few outsiders have ever visited due to the area’s inhospitable terrain.
