Lapis Lazuli Cabochon
Lapis Lazuli Cabochon
Lapis Lazuli is not a mineral, but rather a rock composed of multiple minerals. The blue color of Lapis Lazuli is mainly derived from the presence of Lazurite, another blue silicate mineral of the Sodalite group.
Lapis Lazuli forms near igneous intrusions where limestone or marble has been altered by contact metamorphism or hydrothermal metamorphism. In these rocks, lazurite replaces portions of the host rock & often preferentially develops within certain bands or layers.
In addition to Lazurite, specimens of Lapis Lazuli usually contain Calcite & Pyrite. Sodalite, Hauyne, Wollastonite, Afghanite, Mica, Dolomite, Diopside, & a diversity of other minerals might also be present. To be called Lapis Lazuli, a rock must have a distinctly blue color & contain at least 25% Blue Lazurite.
Lapis Lazuli has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Lapis mining in the Badakhshan Province in NE Afghanistan occurred as early as 7000 BC. The Lapis was used to make beads, small jewelry items & small sculptures. Other Neolithic archaeological sites in Iraq, Pakistan & Afghanistan dating back to about 3000 BC have also been found. It was also ground into pigment & used by both Leonardo DiVinci & Michaelangelo.
Lapis Lazuli has been viewed as a stone of royalty between powerful kings, queens, and pharaohs. Historical relics created from this stone include the Pillars in Saint Petersburg Cathedral & King Tutankhamen’s Sarcophagus. The stone's popularity was due to the belief in its untapped power. Through deep meditation, powerful royals were said to understand their thoughts & sculpt their actions based on the knowledge that Lapis Lazuli provided them. Ideas are considered a powerful vibratory emissions & understanding their origins, one may begin to control them.