This gemstone, also known as lazurite, has accompanied mankind for millennia. It is valued for its deep blue colour, in which grains of golden pyrite can be scattered. The golden sarcophagi of kings and queens in Egypt were richly lined with lapis.
It has been popular and used widely since ancient times in scarabs, jewellery or as powder for eye shadows. In the Middle Ages it was used to make ultramarine pigment for paintings, sculptures, or other works of art. Afghan lapis, the highest quality in terms of colour, has already been mined for 7,000 years. In addition to Afghanistan, deposits of this rare stone include Russia, Chile, and the USA. Lapis lazuli has been used, for example, on the columns of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia, or the golden mask of Tutankhamun in Egypt.
