ThothWeb - Your Portal to the Unknown - Lapis Lazuli

The deep blue beauty of this gemstone has attracted attention for at least 6,500 years when it probably was first mined in what is today’s Afghanistan. It has been admired not just for its decorative qualities but also for a whole range of other possibilities.

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is full of the most fascinating discoveries. By now most people realize that but perhaps are a little intimidated by its enormous size. So don't go with the idea of actually buying; browse and undoubtedly you'll find something you've always wanted or needed or at the very least you will find a gift for a friend.

As you walk by some of the jewelry shops and glance at the display in the windows, you may notice a deep blue item like a ring or necklace or earrings. Since time immemorial, colors have fascinated people and the brighter the better.

Blue has occupied a special place in the minds of humans, perhaps because it is rarely found in a natural state. That's what makes the gemstone known as lapis lazuli so precious and eye catching.

During the latter half of the 20th century it was relatively easy to find in the Grand Bazaar (Kapaliçarşi) but then the source dried up somewhat. The Russian invasion of Afghanistan ended the trade although stones were still brought by people coming from Afghanistan who would try to sell them for cash. Today, lapis lazuli pendants, beads as tesbihs (prayer beads) or necklaces and rings can still be found but there are a lot fewer today than there used to be in the bazaar. A World Bank briefing report (March 2004) notes that one mine producing lapis lazuli was still operating in the Badakhshan province of northeastern Afghanistan at the time. The gemstones however were going to local officials. This may be the same or one of the mines that produced lapis lazuli for at least the last 6,500 years.

Oldest gemstone traded

One author has described lapis as having come straight out of the Arabian Nights. But going back even further, it was found in numerous archaeological excavations amid grave furnishings even in prehistoric burial sites in the form of beads. There might also be necklaces or figurines. It was especially popular in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome while the city of Ur near today's Baghdad is thought to have traded in the semiprecious gemstone more than 6,000 years ago.

One of the earliest and most decorative uses is found in ancient Egyptian jewelry. The death mask and other jeweled items found in the tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun have pieces of lapis lazuli in them that stand out among the gold. We know from other archaeological finds that lapis was quite common. But it may be that its very scarceness and the need to transport it from Afghanistan may have made it even more valuable than a gemstone normally would have been.

Lapis lazuli's color is often referred to as royal blue and is associated with royalty. Frequently it is seen in rings, necklaces of beads or in pendants. Or as background in such wooden items as the famous Royal Standard of Ur that has been dated to 2600 B.C. (Ur was located south of today's Baghdad.) It is composed of an inlaid shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli and represents a battle scene on one side and a banquet on the other. Under the Assyrians and Babylonians, the stone was used for seals, while the Egyptians created amulets and scarabs out of it.

Lapis lazuli has not only been considered royal, it was thought to have also had occult powers. We see it used in religious ceremonies such as any conducted from the Egyptian Book of the Dead and as a holy stone with magical powers. The stone was part of the pantheon of minerals that was thought to cure fevers and get rid of depression and melancholy. Milk was mixed with the lapis lazuli for medicinal purposes and applied to boils and ulcers. Lapis lazuli was also used for insomnia, vision and hearing problems and disorders of the throat, lungs and immune system. It is intriguing to think that it was one of the earliest kinds of makeup and even Cleopatra is known to have used powdered lapis lazuli for eye shadow. The Romans believed it to be a powerful aphrodisiac but then they considered many other things such as herbs and fruits to be helpful in sexual matters.

Painting is another area in which this stone proved useful. It was ground up and mixed with oil to produce ultramarine, a deep blue-green pigment found in oil paintings of the old masters for example. As a color, it still retains its brightness today.

Last but perhaps most importantly lapis lazuli was seen as the stone of truth and friendship that would help a friend speak his or her opinion openly. It also purportedly helped one to be more aware, insightful and improved one's intellect.

What is lapis lazuli?

Lapis is Latin for stone and lazuli derives from a Medieval Latin word meaning blue but the latter originally comes from Arabic and before that Persian lazhuward or lazhward, the Persian word for blue and its place of origin, Turkestan. What we know as lapis lazuli was also known as sapphirus but today's sapphire is actually a different stone.

What is lapis lazuli? It's a stone made up of calcite and a number of other minerals. It may have white specks in it or pyrite spots that glitter like gold. It usually occurs in crystalline limestone millions of years old when limestone was turning into marble. Unfortunately it can be scratched or chipped since it has a hardness rating of only 5.0-5.5 with diamonds the hardest at 10 on the Moh's scale. It can be dyed to make its color better and imitations are fairly quickly recognizable because they lack specks.

Either the stone was mined by hand or after the introduction of dynamite, blasted out. The chunks of blue rock were then and still are taken out of the mountains, worked and sold. The quality of the Afghan lapis lazuli is unsurpassed, although other sources have been discovered in Russia, Chile, Italy, Mongolia, the U.S., Canada, Myanmar and Pakistan. But it is difficult to find any that match the quality of the Afghan pieces.

The original stone before polishing has a matt surface that is polished. Because it is not a very hard stone, it has to be handled with somewhat more care than other stones. Acidic liquids should be kept away from it. If necessary, it can be re-polished if becomes matt again through wear.

Its price can range from the very luxurious to the inexpensive. This depends on the depth of the blue tone. It can be even more expensive if gold pyrite flakes are scattered throughout the stone.

To be put in box:

Two Chinamen, behind them a third,
Are carved in Lapis Lazuli,
Over them flies a long-legged bird,
A symbol of longevity;
The third, doubtless a serving-man,
Carries a musical instrument.

Every discoloration of the stone,
Every accidental crack or dent,
Seems a water-course or an avalanche,
Or lofty slope where it still snows
Though doubtless plum or cherry-branch
Sweetens the little half-way house
Those Chinamen climb towards, and I
Delight to imagine them seated there;
There, on the mountain and the sky,
On all the tragic scene they star.
One asks for mournful melodies;
Accomplished fingers begin to play.
Their eyes mid many wrinkles, their eyes,
Their ancient, glittering eyes, are gay.

--Excerpt from William Butler Yeats, Lapis Lazuli

Copyright: Turkish Daily News