A section of lapis lazuli rock with pyrite mined in Afghanistan in January 2008.
| Photo Credit: Hannes Grobe (CC BY-SA 2.5)
Lapis lazuli is a vividly blue rock, sometimes with streaks of gold, that has been known for millennia for its eye-popping colour and use as a semi-precious gemstone.
It gets its colour from the presence of an unusual mineral called lazurite (25-40%). Its blueness depends on the amount and structure of sulphur in this mineral. The presence of calcite can reduce the blueness while the golden sparkle comes from the presence of pyrites. Some other minerals, like diopside and sodalite, are present in smaller quantities.
Lapis lazuli has been found in many countries so far, including Chile, Russia, and the US, but the highest quality rock comes from Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, where people have been mining it for more than 6,000 years.
In ancient times, traders in India imported lapis lazuli from Badakhshan, perhaps as long ago as 1000 BC. Archaeologists have also found ornamental lapis lazuli ornaments in the remains of Indus civilisation sites including Mohenjo-daro and Harappa. The ancient Egyptians were also known to use it to make jewellery and to powder it to use as eye shadow.
In the Renaissance period, artistes in Europe ground lapis lazuli down into ultramarine, an expensive pigment they used in their paintings.
The rock gets its name from two languages: lapis is the Latin for ‘stone’ whereas ‘lazuli’ comes from the Persian word lazhward, meaning ‘blue’.
Published – March 24, 2025 05:00 am IST
