2" Natural Blue Lapis Lazuli Worry Palm Stone Pyrite Crystal Calcite Mineral
Location: Afghanistan
Weight: 1.4 Ounces
Dimensions: 2 Inches Long, 1.6 Inches Wide, 0.4 Inches Thick
The item pictured is one you will receive.
Hardness: 5.5
Lapis Lazuli is a striking combination of lazurite, calcite, and pyrite, with trace amounts of other minerals. Despite common misconceptions, it does not contain lazulite. Its name literally means “blue stone,” derived from Latin and Persian or Arabic.
Humans have prized lapis lazuli for over 6,500 years. Ancient civilizations—including Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome—valued it for its vibrant color, considering it as precious as sapphire or turquoise.
The finest lapis comes from Badakhshan, a rugged province in present-day Afghanistan. Towering mountains rise to 17,000 feet, with treacherous ravines and sparse vegetation. People have long braved this harsh terrain to collect the azure treasure of high-quality lapis lazuli.
The same was true as far back as 700 BC when the region was part of a country known as Bactria. The lapis mines that were producing then are still producing today. They are, in fact, the world’s oldest known commercial gemstone sources.
Throughout history, merchant caravans carried valuable blue lapis lazuli from Bactria to the thriving civilizations of the ancient Greeks, Indians, Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Persians. Though Marco Polo mentioned the region’s lapis mines in 1271, their remote and harsh surroundings have kept these sources hidden from most travelers.
