Lapis Lazuli Rough Stones
Rough lapis lazuli from Sar-e Sang, northeastern Afghanistan.
Although often described as a mineral, lapis lazuli is a metamorphic rock.
This popular stone is composed of several minerals, including sodalite, lazurite, pyrite, diopside, mica, and calcite. The golden specs of pyrite and rich blue colour come from the mineral lazurite.
Lapis lazuli has been mined in Badakhshan Province, northeastern Afghanistan, for at least 6,500 years. These mines are some of the oldest in the world.
Lapis lazuli can be found in smaller quantities in a few other countries, but the quality and colour are rarely the same.
In recent years, material from Chile has rivalled the colour of stone from Afghanistan, but it's not easy to find and often contains more limestone.
Large quantities of lapis lazuli have also been found around Lake Baikal in the Russian region of Siberia.
These commercial-grade lapis lazuli stones are a medium size. We only have a very small quantity available, but also have top-grade, raw lapis lazuli in sizes from small to large.
