Lapis Lazuli: Properties, Facts and Photos
Lapis lazuli is a deep blue metamorphic rock composed primarily of the mineral lazurite, with calcite and pyrite commonly present. This article explores what it is, where it comes from, the origin of the name, its history and the use of the pigment ultramarine.
| Contents 1. What is Lapis Lazuli? 2. Where is Lapis From? 3. The Pigment Ultramarine 4. The Meaning of Lapis Lazuli 5. History of Lapis Lazuli 6. Article Pictures 7. Shop Lapis Lazuli Reading time: 10 - 12 minutes |
What is Lapis Lazuli?
Lapis lazuli is a deep blue metamorphic rock that has been prized for its colour and rarity for thousands of years. It has been used for jewellery, carvings, decorative objects, and pigments since ancient times, and remains one of the world's most recognisable blue stones.
Lapis lazuli can only be found in a small number of locations because very specific geological conditions are required for it to form. This limited distribution has allowed historians and archaeologists to trace ancient trade routes, as lapis was transported vast distances.
Lapis lazuli is classified as a rock, not a mineral, because it's an aggregate of several different minerals. The most important is lazurite, which is responsible for the stone’s characteristic deep blue colour.
The golden flecks often seen in lapis lazuli are crystals of pyrite, which commonly occur within the lazurite-rich portions of the rock. Although lazurite is a recognised mineral, it typically occurs as fine-grained masses within lapis lazuli.
Standalone crystals of lazurite have been documented, but are extremely rare.
Other minerals often present include white calcite, diopside, enstatite, mica (usually muscovite or biotite), sodalite, haüyne, and hornblende.
High-quality lapis lazuli typically shows a rich blue colour with scattered speckles of pyrite, and minimal visible white calcite. Very high-grade raw mineral specimens are sometimes labelled as lazurite because lazurite is the dominant mineral.
Where Does Lapis Come From?
Most of the world's lapis lazuli comes from the Sar-e Sang deposit in Badakhshan Province, northeast Afghanistan. The stone has been mined there for more than 6,500 years.
The Sar-e Sang mines are some of the world's oldest and most difficult to reach. The only access is by a network of narrow trails high on treacherous slopes in the Hindu Kush Mountains.
Although several mines were once in operation, only one is in use today.
Lapis lazuli can also be found in Siberia and Chile, but not in such abundance. In recent years, the quality of some stone from Chile has rivalled that of Afghanistan, but it's very difficult to source.
Lapis can also be found in a few other countries, but in relatively small quantities.
On the Mohs scale of hardness, lapis lazuli grades 5 to 5.5, so it can scratch quite easily.
Source of the Pigment Ultramarine
Ultramarine, a vibrant and highly prized deep blue pigment, was historically produced by grinding lapis lazuli.
The name 'ultramarine' comes from the Latin 'ultra mare,' meaning "beyond the sea," because lapis was sourced from Afghanistan, far beyond Europe.
To create the ultramarine pigment, the lapis stone was crushed into a fine powder and combined with a mixture of resin, wax and other materials to extract the blue colour. After grinding in a mortar, the powder was washed with alkaline substances to separate the blue pigment from other minerals in the stone, such as calcite and pyrite.
The result was a pure blue pigment, but the process was lengthy and costly, making ultramarine one of the most expensive pigments.
Used in art, mainly for paintings, from ancient times until 1826, it was once said to be more valuable than gold. Its use declined after a synthetic alternative was produced.
Stories in circulation suggest that Michelangelo's 'The Entombment' was left unfinished because ultramarine was prohibitively expensive or in short supply. Historians generally believe this work was abandoned for other reasons.
The Italian painter Raphael, known for his frescoes in the Vatican, is said to have only used it for the final coat of his paintings. It's believed he may have used azurite instead for the base layers because it was cheaper.
The Meaning of Lapis Lazuli
The name 'Lapis Lazuli' is often interpreted as 'stone from the sky' or 'stone from heaven.'
The word 'lapis' comes from Latin for 'stone', while 'lazuli' comes from 'lazulum', from the Arabic word 'lāzaward.' 'Lāzaward' comes from the Persian 'lājevard.' These words all relate to the sky or heaven in reference to the deep blue colour of many lapis stones.
Lapis, which has a long and interesting history, was first mined and used by civilisations in what is today Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Persian word 'lājevard' is likely to have been the stone's original name.
As it travelled along ancient trade routes and became more widely known, the Arabic word 'lāzaward' would have emerged. It would have changed from Arabic to Latin as lapis lazuli reached Europe.
Although not related to the meaning of lapis lazuli, the golden inclusions of pyrite have been likened to stars in the sky due to their bright, shimmering appearance against the deep blue colour of the stone.
This striking visual resemblance has contributed to lapis lazuli being considered a stone of spiritual significance, often associated with the night sky or the heavens in various cultures.
Today, the word 'azul', from the Latin 'lazulum', is used in several languages to describe the colour blue.
History of Lapis Lazuli
The history of lapis lazuli can be traced back thousands of years. One of the oldest and best-known gemstones, it was highly sought after by some of the earliest civilisations, including Babylonia, Ur and ancient Egypt. The stone was often carved into amulets and talismans for jewellery and was also used in religious ceremonies.
Carvings found in ancient Egyptian tombs, including King Tutankhamun's, date back to around 3000 BC. One of the most famous examples is the boy king's funerary mask.
This priceless work of art features lapis, white quartz, obsidian, turquoise, amazonite, carnelian and coloured glass.
In his work, Theophrastus on Stones, the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus wrote about lapis lazuli, which was included in the group called 'Valuable Stones.'
Three hundred and fifty years later, Pliny the Elder, Roman author, naturalist and philosopher, described lapis as "a blue stone with spots of gold that was never transparent." The spots of gold referred to inclusions of the mineral pyrite, which was not recognised as a distinct mineral at this time.
When comparing lapis lazuli to azurite, Pliny said, "Lapis coloured like azurite is considered male." In ancient times, stones were either male or female. Darker stones with more distinctive characteristics were male, and those with less colour were female.
Blue stones with a more solid colour that didn't feature pyrite were known as 'cyanus', but the name is likely to have incorporated other dark blue-coloured stones.
In modern times, lapis lazuli has often been confused for sapphire, not because of any visible similarities or characteristics, but because in the ancient world, lapis lazuli was known as sappheiros.
Pliny wrote, "Sapphirus included with spots of gold is not suitable for engraving." This would have been because the pyrite was too hard to cut through.
The Romans adopted the word 'sapphirus' from the Greek 'sappheiros.'
In ancient Egypt, lapis was believed to open the heart to love and lead the soul into immortality. The Book of Exodus states 'sappir' was one of the twelve precious gemstones in the breastplate of the Jewish high priest.
During excavations of the royal graves in the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, artefacts featuring gold, silver and gemstones were discovered. Many exhibited exceptional craftsmanship, skill and artistry.
The wide range of materials indicates the presence of huge wealth and an extensive network of trade. This is apparent because many of the stones and metals are not found in the region.
Sumer was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. It was home to one of the earliest civilisations. Over 6000 items carved from lapis stone were found there.
The lapis, believed to have come from Afghanistan, was transported to countries including Mesopotamia, Ur, Egypt and India.
The 'golden lyre of Ur', crafted from gold and lapis lazuli, was found in the grave of a king during a 1928 British Museum expedition to Ur (modern-day Iraq). A fine example of ancient Sumerian art, it has been dated to approximately 3500 BC.
The lapis stone necklace in the adjacent photo comes from the same location.
The pictures link to an interesting collection of photos of the golden lyre of Ur.
Article Pictures
The lapis lazuli at the top of our article is courtesy of James St.John.
The lapis lazuli tumbled stones are from our collection.
The funerary mask of King Tutankhamun is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The Golden Lyre of Ur and the lapis stone necklace are in the Penn Museum, Philadelphia.
Pop-up photos
The snow quartz tumbled stones are part of our collection. The turquoise, amazonite, pyrite, azurite, and muscovite: Courtesy of Stan Celestian.
Diopside: Courtesy of The Arkenstone. Haüyne: Courtesy of Géry Parent.
