Lapis lazuli is a vibrant blue rock, sometimes with gold streaks, used as a semi-precious gemstone.
Its blue color comes from lazurite, a mineral, and its intensity depends on the amount of sulfur in the mineral.
The golden sparkles come from pyrites, and other minerals like diopside and sodalite are present in smaller amounts.
The highest quality lapis lazuli is found in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, where it has been mined for over 6,000 years.
Lapis lazuli was traded in ancient times, with evidence of it reaching India as early as 1000 BC and appearing in Indus Valley sites like Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.
The ancient Egyptians used it for jewelry and as a powdered eye shadow.
During the Renaissance, European artists used lapis lazuli to make the ultramarine pigment for paintings.
The name lapis lazuli comes from the Latin word lapis (stone) and the Persian word lazward (blue).
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