A few master painters (examples of which are provided below) considered the use of ultramarine and other costly pigments an essential part of producing paintings with optimum color. Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) used ultramarine to paint The Starry Night in 1889. The oil on canvas painting is considered to be one of his best works and is…

High-quality lapis lazuli has been used as a mineral pigment for over 1,000 years. Bright blue pieces of lapis are trimmed of impurities and ground to a fine powder; the powder can then be mixed with oil or another vehicle for use as a paint. Higher-grade pigments can be produced by washing the powder with…

Lapis lazuli is frequently treated after it is cut and before it is sold as finished gemstones, sculptures, or ornaments. Lapis lazuli is slightly porous and that allows it to accept and hold dye. Much of the material that enters the market has been treated with a blue dye to remove the visibility of white…

Lapis lazuli is most widely known for its use as a gemstone. It is a popular material for cutting into cabochons and beads. It is also used in inlay or mosaic projects and often as a material for small sculptures. These uses made lapis the most popular opaque blue gemstone. Although personal preferences vary, the most…

Afghanistan has been one of the world’s primary sources of lapis lazuli through most of recorded history. Most of the country’s production comes from thousands of small mines in the Badakhshan Province. This is an area with a destitute economy, where opium poppy growing and gemstone mining are the only important sources of outside revenue.…

Lapis lazuli has been popular through most of recorded human history. Mining for lapis occurred in the Badakhshan Province of northeastern Afghanistan as early as 7000 BC. The lapis was used to make beads, small jewelry items and small sculptures. These have been found at Neolithic archaeological sites dating back to about 3000 BC in…

In addition to lazurite, specimens of lapis lazuli usually contain calcite and pyrite. Sodalite, hauyne, wollastonite, afghanite, mica, dolomite, diopside, and a diversity of other minerals might also be present. To be called “lapis lazuli,” a rock must have a distinctly blue color and contain at least 25% blue lazurite. Calcite is often the second most abundant mineral present in lapis…

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 and often preferentially develops within certain bands or layers. Afghanistan is the world’s leading source of lapis lazuli. Some parts of the country have been actively mined for thousands of years.…

Lapis lazuli, also known simply as “lapis,” is a blue metamorphic rock that has been used by people as a gemstone, sculpting material, pigment, and ornamental material for thousands of years. High quality lapis lazuli can be a costly gem. The most desirable specimens have a rich, solid blue color and perhaps a few reflective pieces of gold pyrite.…