| Lapis Lazuli is a unique gemstone that is well known | | | | cloth rather than a wet one. While cleaning the house, it |
| for its beautiful rich, blue color and its tiny golden pyrite | | | | is best to remove any Lapis jewelry because the |
| stars and white ribbons. It is one of the oldest | | | | cleaning chemicals you use are harmful to it. In order |
| semi-precious gemstones to be used in handmade | | | | not to lose any of its color, you should always keep it |
| gemstone jewelry. | | | | out of the direct sunlight where it would lose its color. |
| Now days, depending on the design, it can be worn | | | | Origen and Meaning: "Lapis" is the latin word for stone |
| with casual wear(especially with jeans) or formal wear. | | | | and "asula" is the Arabic word for blue. A Persian |
| Usually, Lapis Lazuli is used as a feature piece in a ring | | | | legend says that the heavens owed their color to a |
| or a pair of earrings. However, for a little variation, it is | | | | huge slab of Lapis on which the earth rested. From the |
| worth considering strands of Lapis beads or a | | | | Persian influence, Lapis Lazuli was know as "Stone of |
| pendent. Lapis also looks great when used beside | | | | Asward" or blue stone. This gemstone has been found |
| other gemstones such as Hematite, Turquoise, or | | | | in the ruins of the ancient Persian, Babylonian, Egyptian, |
| onyx. | | | | Grecian, and Roman civilizations. In the Middle ages it |
| Shopping Guide: When the color in Lapis is deep and | | | | was ground into powder and made into a paste for |
| distributed evenly, it usually means that is good quality | | | | painting. (eg. Illuminated Manuscripts) The first deposits |
| and can be quite expensive. It is important to look out | | | | to be found were in Afganistan where the best quality |
| for Lapis that has pyrites because some sellers | | | | lapis comes from. Lapis can also be found in Russia, |
| advertise jewelry with Lapis that is used is an artificially | | | | Siberia, Chile, Ovalle, Anglolia, Burma, Pakistan, the USA, |
| colored jasper from Germany and does not have | | | | Canada, and India. |
| pyrites. Lapis is most valuable when there are more | | | | Scientific Compositions: Lapis Lazuli is only 25% to |
| veins of pyrite and less of calcite (white). Lapis stones | | | | 40% lazarite. It also contains other minerals such as |
| come in all different shapes and can be bought in rings, | | | | hayne, sodalite(blue), pyrite(gold), calcite(white), and |
| necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. | | | | maybe traces of augite, diopside, hornblende, and |
| Care and Treatment : Lapis lazuli is an very soft stone | | | | nosean. |
| with a hardness that measures 5.0 to 5.5 on the Mohs | | | | If you are trying to choose a kind of gemstone you |
| scale, so it is best to treat it with care. To prevent any | | | | would like for your next piece of Handmade |
| damage to this opaque stone and its glassy protective | | | | Gemstone Jewelry, why not consider Lapis Lazuli? |
| coating you have to wipe your Lapis with a damp | | | | |