Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli

The main component in Lapis Lazuli is Lazurite and accounts for the intense blue color. Lapis Lazuli also contains the minerals pyrite and calcite and a few other minerals. The best quality lapis lazuli is an intense dark blue with minor deposits of white calcite and brassy yellow pyrite. It is extremely rare and commonly found in forms of crystalline limestone. Ancient references to "sapphire," the "sapphirus" of the Romans, usually refers to lapis lazuli. Its modern name originates in the Persian word "lazhuward," meaning "blue," and the Arabis word "lazaward," meaining "heavan" or "sky." The mines of Afganistan remain a major source .