Pear Shaped Lapis Lazuli Stones

Fine grade lapis lazuli cabochons cut from stone mined in Afghanistan.

These stones were cut by hand in India for Stone Mania.  The colour is natural.

The top of the stones is highly polished and exhibits a vitreous lustre. The sides and bottom have been finely polished but the lustre is dull.  Dull lustre means the surface absorbs light instead of reflecting it.

Most of the world's lapis lazuli and certainly the finest grades come from the Sar-i-Sang mines in the Badakhshan Province of north eastern Afghanistan.

We stopped buying lapis lazuli in 2014 after control of the ancient mines in this quiet and relatively safe area of the country was seized by the taliban.