Lapis Lazuli Not a Mineral
Rough lapis lazuli from Afghanistan.
Although often described as a mineral, lapis lazuli is a metamorphic rock.
This stone is composed of several different minerals, including sodalite, lazurite, pyrite, diopside, mica, and calcite. The golden specs of pyrite and rich blue colour both come from the mineral lazurite.
Lapis lazuli has been mined for at least 6,500 years in Badakhshan Province, northeastern Afghanistan. These mines are some of the oldest mines 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 contains more limestone.
Large quantities of lapis lazuli have also been found around Lake Baikal in the Russian region of Siberia.
These lapis lazuli stones are a medium size. We currently only have a small quantity available but we are waiting for new stock.
