Arabian Night--Lapis Lazuli

Lapis lazuli is a gemstone of kinds that might have come straight out of the Arabian Nights: a deep blue or sky blue with golden inclusions of pyrites which shimmer like little stars. This opaque, deep blue gemstone has a grand past. It was among the first gemstones to be worn as jewellery and worked on. at excavations in the ancient centres of culture around the Mediterranean, archeologists have again and again found among the grave furnishings decorative chains and figures made of lapis lazuli- clear indications that the deep blue stone was alresdy popular thousands of years ago among the people of Mesopotamia, Egypt,Persia, Greece and Rome.

The origin of lapis lazuli

The euphonious name is composed 'lapis', the latin word for stone, which comes from the Arablc and means blue. All right, so it's a blue gemstone - but what an incredible blue! the worth of this stone to world of art is immeasurable, for the ultramarine of the old masters is nothing other than genuine lapis lazuli. Ground up into a powder and stitted up together with binding-agents, the marble-like gemstone can be used to manufacture radiant blue watercolours, tempera or oil-paints. before the year 1834, when it became possible to produce this colour synthetically, the only ultramarine available was that valuable substance made from genuine lapis lazuli that shines out at us from many works of art today. Many pictures of the madonna, for example, were created using this paint. But in those days, ultramarine blue was not only precious and so intense that its radiance outshone all other colours; it was also very expensive. but unlike all other blue from lapis lazuli is mainly used in restoration work and by collectors of historical paints.

The stone of friendship and truth

Lapis lazuli is regarded by many people around the world as the stone of friendship and trnth. the blue stone is said to encourage harmony in relationships and help its wearer to be authentic and give his or her opinion openly.

Many a cutter 'turns up his nose' when cutting lapis lazuli, for as soon as the stone comes into contact with the cutting-disc it gives off a typical smell. An experienced cutter can even tell from the odour how intense the colour is. When polishing this stone, he muust handle it handle it gently on account of its modrest hardness and not subject it to much pressure. But there is no need for the wearer to worry: a lapis lazuli that has grown matt from having been worn too much can easily be repolished at any colouring agent, this sealing process simply has effect of improving the stone's wearing qualities. Having said that, the stone should always be protected from acidic substances, and it should not be exposed to too much sunlight.

As they did more than 5000 years ago, the best raw stones still come from the steep Hindu Kush in the north-east of Afghanistan. the lumps of blue rock, extracted from the inhospitable mountains by blasting, are brought down into the valley in the summer months by mules. Nature also created deposits in russia, to the west of lake baikal, and in the Chilean Andes, where the blue rock often has white of grey lime running through it. In smaller amounts, lapis lazuli is also found in Italy, mongolia, the USA and Canada, Myanmar and Pakistan, but in really good qualities it is rare all over. that is why the prices of jewellery with lapis lazuli vary very widely, from luxurious to quite inexpensive. the prices of this gemstone are largely depensent on the beauty and intensity of the colour. the most popular is an intense, deep blue. Women with a pale complexion, however, often prefer the lighter shades of blue. Finely distributed crystals of pyrites which shimmer in gold and look like sequins will increase the value of the gemstone, whilst a restless, rough or blotchy grain will reduce it.

Lapis lazuli is a versatile and popular gemstone which has shown extraordinary stability in the turbulent tides of fashion. No wonder, since it has fascinated both men and women for thousands of years with its fabulous colour and those golden points of light formed by pyrites.