Lapis Lazuli Gemstones | Zalgro

Lapis lazuli, often known as “lapis,” is a blue metamorphic rock that has been utilized for thousands of years as a gemstone, sculpting material, pigment, and ornamental material. Lapis lazuli of high quality can be rather expensive. The most prized specimens have a deep, solid blue color with a few gleaming gold pyrite bits. Lapis lazuli, unlike most other gem materials, is not a mineral. Instead, it’s a rock made up of a variety of minerals.

The most well-known application of lapis lazuli is as a gemstone. Cut into cabochons and beads, it’s a popular material. It’s also frequently utilized as a material for miniature sculptures and inlay or mosaic projects. Lapis became the most popular opaque blue gemstone as a result of these applications.

The most common lapis has a uniform, deep blue to violet-blue tint, though personal preferences differ. A few randomly positioned grains of gold pyrite or a few fractures or mottles of white calcite are popular among collectors. When pyrite or calcite is present in greater than modest proportions, the material’s appeal and value are dramatically reduced. Gray inclusions or mottling reduces appeal fast.

Lapis lazuli has some durability issues that make it unsuitable for specific applications. Lapis has a Mohs hardness of roughly 5, making it too soft to be used in a ring, cuff links, or bracelet, especially if the stone’s top is lifted above the setting or bezel. With extended use, lapis will exhibit evidence of wear in certain applications.

Where abrasion is less possible, lapis is best used in earrings, pins, and pendants. Lapis can be destroyed if the fragments are not kept separate while stored as unmounted stones or in jewelry. Jewelry should be kept in individual boxes or bags, or on trays with compartments for each item.