LAPIS JEWELRY GUIDE

Description and Formation

The rich dark blue shades of lapis jewelry have long been a stunning complement to the gorgeous lighter shades of green and blue turquoise. Lapis jewelry combined with beautiful turquoise stones represent a traditional and eye-catching gemstone combination, whether in a multi-stone jewelry design or through combining single-stone pieces of each gemstone. Lapis jewelry is a natural companion for lovers of turquoise jewelry and traditional gemstones. Lapis is formed underground from a pressurized concentration of diopside and lazurite.

 

The History of Lapis Jewelry

Lapis jewelry has a rich and extensive history, reaching as far back as 4000 B.C. This dark blue precious stone has been prized by cultures throughout the world for over thousands of years because of its hypnotizing deep blue coloration. There are a large variety of Lapis mines throughout the world, each producing a unique variation of the beautiful blue gemstone. The mines in Sar-i Sang and Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan date back to as early as the 7th millennium BCE.

 

Lapis Jewelry Today

Today, the best Lapis mines are still held in the northeast region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, which boast for both quantity and quality of the gem. There is also a significant quantity from various mines around Lake Baikal in Russia, as well as the Andes mountains near Chile. There are smaller deposits around the United States and in various other countries, but these are the most significant sources of Lapis.

 

Lapis: Meaning and Beauty

Lapis also has had a reputation for evoking positive energy in relationships. For this reason, it is known by many cultures as the stone of friendship or the stone of truth. The philosophy behind this interpretation is that the deep blue purity of the stone is a symbol for truth. Giving people the clarity to speak their opinions and be honest with the people in their lives.