Lapis lazuli color. Lapis lazuli. How to distinguish fake lapis lazuli from natural one

Lapis lazuli or lapis has a sky blue color. This stone is very revered in the East. It is used to make hairpins, necklaces, brooches and other jewelry. Even in the 4th millennium BC, jewelry made from lapis lazuli was placed in the graves of the kings of Ancient Ur, a city-state that existed on the Arabian Peninsula.

Products made of lapis lazuli are present in the tombs of the first pharaohs of Egypt. Here are excerpts from the description of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun: “On the mummy’s chest, from neck to stomach, there were thirty-five gold objects, including a gold pectoral (breast decoration), inlaid with green glass, lapis lazuli and carnelian, which is attached to the neck with flexible strips of gold and lapis lazuli. Twelve rings made of solid gold, lapis lazuli, green chalcedony, and turquoise were placed in the robe covering the chest and belly of the mummy.”

Deposits of lapis lazuli are very rare. Only four large deposits are known where gemstones are mined. In the old days, Bukhara merchants brought a lot of lapis lazuli to Russia.

In ancient Egypt, lapis was known as the stone of the gods. In the dry, scorched earth, this cobalt blue with flecks of gold stood in stark contrast to the arid landscape. Therefore, the Egyptians believed that lapis was a messenger of God, with the help of which they could touch the divine clothes.

Lapis was used to make dyes and dye the clothes of great priests. Lapis was ground and added to special medicines used as a determinant of poisons: the Egyptians believed that the blue color removed poisons and impurities.

Nowadays lapis is used to cleanse the aura of layers of the past that there is no point in carrying on. In this case, memories of old grievances often arise, and lapis will discharge them faster than any other stone.

Splashes of gold symbolize wisdom. Ancient people considered lapis lazuli a stone of sincerity. Gifts containing lapis lazuli were trusted more than words, as they were considered signs of true friendliness.

Lapis lazuli is used as a remedy for certain nerve diseases. It prevents attacks of asthma and radiculitis, treats bleeding in women, and relieves insomnia. Lapis lazuli with gold dots cures internal ulcers.

A lapis lazuli talisman brings happiness in love and gambling, as well as peace and happiness. With the help of lapis lazuli talismans, unexpected plans and projects come true.

Lapis lazuli sees a specific task in every moment of life. This stone helps a person gather his thoughts and strengthen his willpower. Lapis lazuli does not press a person with its power; it only slightly pushes him to look for the hidden sides of all things.

To perceive the energy of lapis lazuli you need to be a sophisticated person. Anyone who catches it and feels the call of lapis lazuli can change greatly: become a philosopher, a real sage. Lapis lazuli only gives impetus for development.

Lapis lazuli is the stone of those people who strive to renew their lives. It promotes the formation of new interests and strengthens friendship and mutual affection.

This stone is contraindicated only for Capricorns; everyone else can wear it.

In the European understanding, lapis lazuli is a symbol of prosperity, success and good luck.

Lapis lazuli stone not too expensive, but infinitely precious. Paradox? The ancients did not think so. The secret knowledge said: lapis lazuli will reveal its properties to everyone, but will prefer the chosen one. Only those who are not afraid to approach the mountain peaks and touch the heavens with their hands will receive the highest reward. A stone the color of the sky, mined at an unimaginable height, will make the life of its owner a flight above the bustle...

Millennia passed until science surpassed superstition, and the nature of the gem was revealed to humanity in its entirety. We are aware of the chemical composition and physical properties of the mineral. Its deposits have been discovered in different parts of the world. Cornflower stone is mined, processed and used. And yet lapis lazuli - in every piece, in every bead and jewelry insert - still keeps the secret of its charm!

The heavenly blue, hardened by the forces of nature, beckons, captivates and excites the imagination as of old. Among the dominance of the artificial sparkle of man-made crystals, the “quiet” glow of azure stone attracts attention with its artless beauty and amazing similarity to the depths of the sky.

Lapis lazuli sometimes glows on an August afternoon, sometimes turns blue in the pre-sunset thunderstorm twilight, sometimes turns silver in a cloudy haze over the blue of the sea. They say there are even more beautiful gems in the world. But this is the voice of envy...

Physico-chemical properties of lapis lazuli

Lapis lazuli is a well-studied mineral. It is distinguished by:

- color azure blue, dark blue;
- glassy shine, greasy;
- opaque, can be seen through;
- light blue line;
- Mohs hardness 5.5; fragile;
- density 2.38-2.42 g/cm3;
- conchoidal fracture;
- cubic system;
- rarely found in crystal form;
- crystals of simple cubic structure. Chlorine ions are located in the corners and center of the cube in a tetrahedral environment of sodium ions;
- symmetry class hexatetrahedral;
- imperfect cleavage;
- aggregates are dense, amorphous;
- decomposes in HCl with the release of hydrogen sulfide;
- associated minerals – calcite, ;
- similar minerals: sodalite, nosean, hauin.

The chemical composition of lapis lazuli includes: sodium oxide Na2O – 16.8%, calcium oxide CaO – 8.7%, aluminum oxide Al2O3 – 27.2%, silicon dioxide SiO2 – 31.8%, sulfur oxide SO3 – 34%, chlorine Cl – 0.25%.

Lapis lazuli in the history of mankind

At least seven thousand years ago, the extraction of blue stone began in the mountain mines of the Pamirs. Decorating the palaces of eastern rulers, lapis lazuli invariably became the object of attention of ambassadors and merchants. Western European artists learned to grind the mineral into powder, mix the powder with boiled oil and thus produce ultramarine - “supermarine” - paint.

The pharaohs also loved the lapis lazuli stone. The best works of ancient Egyptian art that have come down to us are blue with the primordial density of color. It was in Ancient Egypt that the tradition of creating gold jewelry with lapis lazuli inserts arose.

The conquest of the East gave the nobles of Europe the opportunity to freely dispose of reserves of the precious gem. Rich houses were necessarily decorated with vases and fireplaces, statues and balustrades made of lapis lazuli.

Is it true, lapis lazuli - lapis lazuli of a dense, uniform color, blue or purple - was highly valued and was used only for making jewelry.

The discovery of the blue mineral within Russian borders helped the Russian emperors decorate the grandiose buildings of the capital with the most beautiful azure decoration. The columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral, the halls of the Peterhof Palace complex, and the Winter Imperial Palace shine with the ever-fresh blue of Russian lapis lazuli.

World gem deposits

Lapis lazuli is considered an ornamental stone. At the same time, the best samples of the mineral have undoubted jewelry qualities. But even in this case, the price of lapis lazuli does not exceed two dollars per gram!

The affordability of this beautiful natural material is determined by the volume of blue stone production. The Chilean Andes, along with the Afghan Pamirs, provide the lion's share of lapis lazuli raw materials on the world market.

North America, Argentina, India and Russia produce high-quality lapis lazuli from less significant deposits.

Artificial gem, or how lapis lazuli is counterfeited

Counterfeits of natural lapis lazuli are numerous. It is not surprising that the most expensive varieties of gems are imitated. By dyeing jasper purple, scammers pass off the finished product as lapis lazuli.

Blue synthetic spinel is often passed off as a lapis lazuli crystal. There are several ways to check. Wetting a natural gem results in continuous moistening of the surface. Water collects in drops on artificial stone.

Naturally occurring lapis lazuli is fire resistant. In the old days, a stone intended for cabochon cutting was heated in a fire for up to ten days to reveal defects in its structure. No imitation of such a test will withstand...

Real lapis lazuli exhibits maximum of its decorative properties only in bright natural light. Counterfeits can also shine under artificial light.

Lapis lazuli jewelry

A piece of wild lapis lazuli can serve as a wonderful interior decoration. Some of the deposits are rich in deposits of blue gems with sparkles of “golden” pyrite in the thickness of the rock mass. Even unprocessed fragments of valuable rock become the center of spectator attention!
Jewelry lapis lazuli is often used as a material for cutting gems. Cabochon-cut lapis lazuli is set in gold and silver. Rings, pendants and earrings with lapis lazuli inserts are often combined into sets.

Only lapis lazuli beads are mass-produced. They are inexpensive. Jewelry made from lapis lazuli, made according to individual projects, can be valued higher than products with precious stones of the highest category. , designed for custom jewelry.

The healing properties of lapis lazuli

In modern lithotherapy healing properties of lapis lazuli valued as uniquely inclusive. Blue stone normalizes vision, lowers blood pressure, eliminates nervous tension, and brings happy dreams.

Pregnant women are recommended to wear lapis lazuli jewelry to avoid the risk of miscarriage. Lapis lazuli also helps in getting rid of toxicosis, normalizing the menstrual cycle, and preventing inflammation of the female organs.

Crushed lapis lazuli mixed with diluted acetic acid helps hair growth and heals damage to the gastrointestinal tract. When ground with honey and pomegranate leaves, the mineral treats skin diseases. Taken in homeopathic doses, lapis lazuli helps heal bruises and minor injuries.

Magical properties of lapis lazuli

It has long been believed that the main magical properties of lapis lazuli aimed at establishing communications between people and gods. It is impossible to bend one’s soul before the creator, and therefore, in the European magical tradition, the blue stone has become a symbol of openness and frankness.

Constant communication with a gem cleanses the soul of base thoughts and directs aspirations to spiritual heights. Only true friends can gift lapis lazuli to loved ones: the stone does not accept insincerity!

Wearing lapis lazuli jewelry can give a person the happiness of material wealth, business success, gaming luck or mutual love - but only one of the four! It is noted that at different stages of life, the same talisman can promote all four benefits in turn.

Zodiac Cancers and Capricorns do not get along well with lapis lazuli. The gem assists other signs to a greater (Libra, Sagittarius) or lesser (Leo, Scorpio) degree.

Lapis lazuli is a mineral that is opaque and can change its color depending on the lighting: from blue to blue with a shade of gray, and in rare cases, green with a shade of gray. The rarest and most popular lapis lazuli stone is considered to be the crystal that has a purple tint, and is called the lapis lazuli stone.

Lapis lazuli is a mineral that is opaque and can change its color depending on the lighting.

However, it should be noted that lapis lazuli is a stone that is not an expensive crystal. But at the same time it is very precious and significant. It would seem that these are 2 incompatible things, but they are not. Since ancient times, our ancestors passed on knowledge about the stone, and they told the following truth: there are hidden powerful magical properties of lapis lazuli that cannot be revealed to everyone. The magic of the stone is revealed only to a select few: to those who are not afraid to go the long way to it through the mountain peaks and can touch the heavens with their hand. In response to these exploits, the mineral will reward its hero with an unimaginable gift: the stone will reveal the truth to the owner, and his life will turn into a flight above vanity.

Many millennia have passed since scientists and scientific research struggled to refute superstitions. But at the same time, thanks to science, humanity, on the contrary, has discovered even more interesting and fascinating facts about lapis lazuli. Mankind has long known all the chemical properties of stone. The physical composition of the mineral is no longer something unknown thanks to the latest technology. Stone deposits are already known to archaeologists, specialists, scientists and almost all people. It would seem that everything is already known about lapis lazuli. But despite this, the stone still remains something mysterious. Even being on the shelves of precious and jewelry stores, the mineral lapis lazuli continues to fascinate everyone who looks at it.

While many other crystals require pre-treatment to achieve a certain color, the mineral attracts with its shade in its original form. This sky blue color, as if it were a real piece of the sky, changes to dark blue or bright blue. Such changes seem to indicate that lapis lazuli changes color depending on the weather.

About 8 thousand years ago, serious excavations of lapis lazuli first began in the mountain system in the south of Central Asia and the north of the Himalaya mountain range. Blue stone was used to decorate the palaces of the most important eastern kings. Such a touch in the architectural design meant that the crystal was rare, since not everyone could afford to decorate their house with lapis lazuli. Of course, ambassadors and merchants from different countries looked at this phenomenon with curiosity. Artists in Western Europe have found very interesting uses for the blue mineral. Due to the fact that the stone is quite fragile, they turned it into a powder mass using special tools. Next, boiled oil was added to this powder, mixed, and ultramarine paint was obtained.

Lapis lazuli was also extremely popular among the Egyptian pharaohs. The most luxurious works of art of ancient Egyptian masters flaunt an abundant accumulation of blue stones. The ancient Egyptians used the mineral as decoration in almost all areas: pendants, rings, architecture, paintings, sculptures, etc. It was Egypt that brought to other countries such a tradition as creating jewelry only with the help of gold and inserts from lapis lazuli stones.

The color of the stone is very rich and is famous for the fact that its charming shade is natural

Thanks to the fact that the East was subjected to a series of conquests, the nobles of Europe gained access to an almost unlimited amount of blue stone. At their disposal, in addition to the huge reserves of the mineral in the eastern lands, there were huge sources of its extraction. The most significant people in Europe decorated their homes with all kinds of architectural objects made of stone: sculptures, statues, fireplaces, vases, etc.

However, lapis lazuli is a lapis lazuli crystal that has a uniform color. Such stones were highly valued and were not used in many areas as jewelry. Lapis lazuli was used only to create elite jewelry for the highest ranks.

Due to the fact that Russian territories were explored at one time, a huge accumulation of minerals was discovered there. This discovery made it possible to build unimaginable structures and buildings in the capital itself, which were finished only with a large number of stones. St. Isaac's Cathedral is famous for its columns, which are completely shiny and shiny with lapis lazuli finish. The list of the most magnificent buildings with blue stone includes the Peterhof Palace and the Winter Palace of the Emperor.

The most ancient stone among lapis lazuli is considered to be Badakhshan lapis lazuli, which was discovered in the lands of Afghanistan in Badakhshan.

Gallery: lapis lazuli (25 photos)

The color of the stone is very rich and is famous for the fact that its charming shade is natural

Lapis lazuli gemstone (video)

Field

It will not be difficult to fake such a stone. But despite this, the best examples of the stone have high jewelry values. But even in this situation, lapis lazuli cannot boast of a high price: its cost is no more than 3 dollars per 1 g.

The price of a beautiful mineral can vary greatly, and it directly depends on the volume of stone mining. The Andes in Chile and the mountain systems in southern Central Asia rank 1st in the export of blue minerals worldwide.

North America, the south of Argentina, the territories of India and Russia, in turn, cannot boast of high export figures, since they have very modest deposits of lapis lazuli.

Artificial lapis lazuli

Today, the world market is simply overloaded with fakes of the blue mineral. There is nothing strange in this, because from time immemorial many people have been thirsty for profit and strive to pass off a cheap fake as a lapis lazuli gemstone. Craftsmen in the art of gemstone counterfeiting dye jasper and sodalite stones purple. They sell such products at a high price, passing them off as the most natural lapis lazuli.

To check lapis lazuli for originality, there are several methods. A real crystal, if wetted, will be covered with water evenly over its entire surface. When moistened, a fake will collect moisture in the form of drops on its surface.

We must also remember that lapis lazuli stone is very fire-resistant. In ancient times, blue stones were calcined in fire for 1-2 weeks. This fire test was done so that it could be determined whether the crystal contained any defects or not. Artificial likenesses will not withstand even a day of such testing by fire.

The original lapis lazuli stone shows its strengths and properties to the maximum only when exposed to direct rays of the sun. Fakes can also shine under artificial light, so it’s not difficult to find out what the original stone looks like.

Lapis lazuli has a wide range of uses in jewelry

Decorations

To decorate interior items, wild lapis lazuli fragments are an excellent option. You need to understand that even a fragment of blue stone made from valuable rocks will definitely attract the attention of any person.

Lapis lazuli has a wide range of uses in jewelry. It’s not difficult to say who this stone is suitable for, because its individual color will suit almost every person. A blue crystal cut into a cabochon is used with gold and silver. Earrings, rings, pendants and amulets are also often decorated, according to the design, with inlays made of rock mineral.

If we talk about mass production, then blue lapis lazuli in this case is used only in lapis lazuli beads. Beads are not a very expensive pleasure. However, jewelry that is made to order with mineral inserts is valued much higher.

Medicinal properties

The healing properties of lapis lazuli are considered very wide and can cover almost all problems in human health. Lapis lazuli stone, according to its history, can even cure cancer. Such a crystal is suitable for treating a person from various eye diseases and can have a beneficial effect on improving vision. Also, lapis lazuli can lower blood pressure and normalize the tone of the heart muscle.

A number of medicinal properties include improved sleep, which is characterized by the appearance of beautiful and happy dreams. The stone is able to eliminate nervousness and stress in the body, and has a beneficial effect on a person’s psychological state.

It is recommended for pregnant women to wear lapis lazuli jewelry. Such wearing protects the girl from the risk of miscarriage and pathological changes in the fetus. Women's health is also exposed to the healing properties of lapis lazuli: the crystal relieves the body from painful conditions due to poisoning by toxins, normalizes the menstrual cycle and prevents various inflammatory processes in the female genital organs.

If you grind a lapis lazuli stone and mix it with the acid of vinegar, then this solution has a number of useful properties: it improves the quality and speed of hair growth, promotes intestinal healing and its normalization. If you grind lapis lazuli and add honey, this mixture can cure a person of skin diseases.

Lapis lazuli (video)

Magic properties

Even in ancient times, people believed that the main magical properties of the lapis lazuli stone were opportunities in the sphere of communication between people and gods. It is impossible to deceive the Almighty, which is why Europeans have long attributed the blue mineral to the personification of human revelation and honesty.

If you communicate with lapis lazuli every day, then there is a belief that such communication can cleanse a person’s soul of bad thoughts and direct him on the right path. Only relatives can give such a stone, as it implies sincerity of intentions.

In lapis lazuli, the magical properties are maximized if you wear the blue crystal every day. In this case, a person is able to achieve high success in terms of material enrichment, career advancement, success in all endeavors and love. But lapis lazuli can provide a person with only 1 gift at a certain stage of life.

If we talk about who the blue stone is suitable for according to the horoscope, then first of all you need to take into account that Capricorns and Cancers have a rather bad life with lapis lazuli. The rest of the zodiac signs get along especially well with the lapis lazuli stone, but this depends on the specific intentions of the owner and his good or bad intentions.

The healing properties of lapis lazuli are considered very wide and can cover almost all problems in human health.

Physical and chemical properties

If we consider the physicochemical characteristics, then lapis lazuli is a stone that has been studied quite well until today. The characteristics of the mineral make it possible to distinguish it from other representatives of crystals. Lapis lazuli has the following properties:

Color. Azure color with a hint of blue. The crystal shines like glass. Transparency is moderate, can be seen through. Features are light blue.
Structure. On the Mohs scale, 5.5 means that the stone is not hard, but brittle. Density ranges from 2.38 to 2.42 g/cm³. The fracture resembles a shell. The crystal lattice is cubic. The structure of the crystal is in the shape of a cube. According to the symmetry class - hexatetrahedron. Imperfect in cleavage.

As is clear, the stone has different purposes. Therefore, in order to possess it, you need to take into account not only the characteristics of the mineral, but also rely on its history and properties that are suitable specifically for both the horoscope and the personality as a whole.

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Lapis lazuli is a deep blue stone that came to the world from the East. Initially mined in Afghanistan, it was highly valued among the mountain and steppe peoples, where it symbolized the main pre-Islamic deity - Tengri-Sky.

History and origin

The history of the stone begins in Badakhshan - an area on the border of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, now under the rule of the latter. It was there that about three thousand years ago they began to mine amazing blue stones - opaque, silky shine, some of them were dotted with golden veins. The color of the stone varied from greenish-blue to purple.

Lapis lazuli stones were found in blocks of marble mined in Badakhshan - the main building material for temples and palaces of antiquity. The inclusions of bright blue mineral immediately attracted the attention of local emirs. It was declared the greatest value; the slaves who mined it were chained to the walls of the mines in order to avoid escaping with a block of stone. And now the mining of Badakhshan lapis lazuli is one of the main sources of income for the Afghan Taliban movement.

Lapis lazuli was used for interior and exterior decoration of walls and ceilings of temple and palace complexes. In the East, he was firmly identified with Heaven. From Afghanistan he came to Persia, from there to Egypt, ancient Hellas and Rome, and thus ended up in Europe.

Now lapis lazuli is an ornamental stone of the first order according to the Bauer-Fersman classification. At the same price level are, for example, jade, amazonite, azurite, agate, vesuvian and jasper.

Lapis lazuli is similar in appearance and name to azurite - a blue opaque mineral of a similar texture. It differs from azurite in its chemical composition (lapis lazuli contains sulfur), higher hardness and the absence of play and color transitions.

In the states of Central Asia and China, lapis lazuli was a symbol of royal power and at the same time of Heaven, that which extends over everyone, be it an emir, a mandarin, a warrior or a peasant. In Egypt, lapis lazuli stones were given a connection with Amun-Ra, the main god of the later dynasties of the pharaohs. Products with lapis lazuli were found in the burial chambers of many pharaohs, for example, Tutankhamun.

The meaning of the stone, according to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians, is judicial power, the highest divine justice. The badge of an Egyptian judge was a lapis lazuli breastplate with the hieroglyph “Truth.”

It was from Afghan lapis lazuli that the boards were made on which Moses wrote down the commandments sent down from above.

A description of the stone will be incomplete without mentioning that it has long been used by artists of both the West and the East to make bright blue paint - ultramarine. The natural mineral was used in the form of a fine powder and was most suitable for making paints based on water, resin and tempera.

The Latin name of the stone is “lapis lazuli”, which is what it was called throughout Europe, including Russia, until the 18th century. It goes back to the Persian “lazhvard”, which means “heavenly stone”. In Rus', this mineral has been known since approximately the era of Ivan the Terrible. In Russian, he received the nickname “lazorevik” or “lazurik”.

Physicochemical characteristics

Characteristics: lapis lazuli is a complex compound of aluminum, sodium, silicon, sulfur and oxygen. The composition may contain calcium, individual inclusions of feldspars and pyrite. Belongs to the subclass of frame aluminosilicates. A rock-forming igneous material released from magma very low in silica.

Blue lapis lazuli

Hardness 5.5. Can be scratched with a knife made of alloy or carbon steel. Doesn't scratch glass.

The rich blue color of lapis lazuli is due to the presence of sulfur in its composition, which partially replaces silicon. Sulfur content - up to 0.7%. The higher it is, the thicker and brighter the color.

Lapis lazuli crystal is a rare occurrence. The usual form of its occurrence in nature is veins in marble or massive blocks. In turn, lapis lazuli can have golden veins, which in ancient times were considered true gold. But this is pyrite, also known as sulfur pyrite, iron disulfide. The blue tit is not a gemstone.

The properties of lapis lazuli make it easy to process, but also easy to damage.

Formula	Na[(AlSiO4)SO4]
Color	Shades of blue
Shine	Glass
Transparency	Translucent
Hardness	5,5
Cleavage	Implicit
Kink	Conchoidal, granular
Density	2.38 - 2.42 g/cm³

Mining areas

The oldest deposit, which is still being developed, is in the province of Badakhshan, near the Tajik border (northern Afghanistan). At the beginning of the 20th century, the mineral was discovered in the mountains of the nearby Pamirs.

On the territory of Russia, deposits of lapis lazuli were discovered in the 18th century in the Southern Baikal region, on the banks of the Slyudyanka River. The initiator of the search was Empress Catherine II.

Less significant deposits are located in Chile (Andes Mountains), China and certain areas of Africa.

Varieties and colors

Blue tit comes in different shades - blue, deep blue, with a hint of green, lilac-violet. It can be uniform, have golden veins; in cheap varieties, white and gray inclusions of feldspars are acceptable. The inclusions may look like blots of canvases or, less commonly, “eyes.”

The highest cost is for Afghan lapis lazuli. Afghans distinguish three main types of their national stone:

The highest price is the price; after processing (polishing, cutting, inserting into a product), it can reach $10 per gram, depending on the beauty of the stone. The sufsi is valued lowest.

The Baikal blue tit roughly corresponds to the Afghan blue tit in color scheme. Pamir and Chilean are paler.

Benefits for the body

The healing properties of lapis lazuli are associated with its energy - projective (yang). This is a classic “masculine” stone - the sign of gender in this case refers not to the rules of wearing, but to the magical property of the stone to actively influence the world around it. Talismans and amulets made from blue tit change the world, not their owner.

Gold bracelet with lapis lazuli

The main medicinal properties of lapis lazuli include, first of all, the correction of the functions of the endocrine system as a whole. It restores the thyroid gland, improves blood pressure and the circulatory system. Useful for skin diseases.

The use of the stone has a more powerful effect if you use acupressure means - rollers, balls and other similar objects made of natural mineral.

If you use it in a ring on your left hand, the stone will be able to cleanse the lymph and soothe inflamed lymph nodes. A large specimen of rich blue color is invaluable for meditation - if you look at it for a long time, you can get rid of a state of anger, unmotivated fear, relieve exaltation or ecstasy, and improve well-being in case of prolonged depression. The blue tit is also useful for various ophthalmological diseases.

Since the times of Ancient Egypt, lapis lazuli powder has been used to treat poisoning or, in particular, excessive vomiting for no reason.

A wide lapis lazuli bracelet on the right hand reduces the frequency of asthma attacks. And lapis lazuli beads make pregnancy easier and reduce the likelihood of miscarriage in women.

Magic abilities

According to its magical properties, lapis lazuli is classified as the dominant planet Jupiter. The Romans considered it the stone of their supreme god, after whom the planet was named (in the Hellenic tradition it is Zeus).

Magic believes that the main properties of lapis lazuli are cleansing the mind from unnecessary feelings, unnecessary emotions, and extraneous thoughts. The stone imparts composure and calmness, facilitates thinking, although it somewhat reduces the speed of reactions. Among those for whom lapis lazuli is optimally suited are theoretical scientists of all sciences, priests (regardless of religion), writers, lawyers and jurists (in those moments when you need to sit, think and isolate the main thing from the matter). But he has negative compatibility with any business people - drivers, rescuers, athletes, active duty military, industrial workers where speed and accuracy of reactions are required.

Lapis lazuli calms, relaxes, and induces a meditative state, so it is not recommended for constant wear in the modern world. But it enhances intuition and attracts the views of others, including people of the opposite sex, to its owner.

Amulets and talismans made of lapis lazuli have been considered symbols of sincerity and friendliness since ancient times. They influenced not so much their bearer as those who had the intention of lying to him or causing harm in another way, gradually turning him away from this idea.

A stone set in gold attracts good luck and the attention of people of the opposite sex. Silver - serves as protection against dark forces.

Zodiac compatibility

Astrologers strongly associate lapis lazuli according to the zodiac sign with Sagittarius. This is an ideal jewelry stone for the most hot-tempered, fickle and restless Fire sign, despite the fact that it belongs to the Earth minerals. Lapis lazuli jewelry can be worn by Aries, Pisces, and Aquarius. According to the horoscope, he is suitable for Libra.

But for representatives of the most “powerful” fire sign - Leo, and the most unpredictable and out-of-the-box thinker - Scorpio - the blue tit is contraindicated.

Zodiac sign	Compatibility
Aries	+
Taurus	+
Twins	+
Cancer	+
a lion	+
Virgo	+
Scales	+++
Scorpion	+
Sagittarius	+
Capricorn	-
Aquarius	+
Fish	+

(“+++” - fits perfectly, “+” - can be worn, “-” - is strictly contraindicated)

Compatibility with other stones

Lapis lazuli is one of the classic stones of the Earth. Other earthly rocks are jasper, jade, agates and chalcedony of all types and varieties, crocodile, malachite, turquoise, labradorite and morion. All these are opaque stones. Lapis lazuli is compatible with any of them.

A good combination is a company with Water gems:

emerald;
precious opal (except black);
aquamarine;
topaz;
pearls;
goshenite;
peridot;
euclase.

It is strictly unacceptable to combine with Fire - almandine, pyrope, grossular, all types of garnet, except demantoid and uvarovite. Particular attention should be paid to ensure that lapis lazuli does not get into the company of a diamond or ruby - they will “destroy” it.

The combination with Air - the mentioned demantoid and uvarovite, rock crystal and other clear quartz, rauchtopaz, golden beryl, amazonite, amethyst and chrysoprase - is neutral.

Application area

It is an ornamental mineral, which is mainly used for making sculptures, figurines and other stone-cutting products. Plates and sections of lapis lazuli are used in mosaic work, for cladding walls and columns. There are known large statues and columns made from single blocks of blue tit, for example, the colonnade of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Beads with lapis lazuli

Nowadays, gold and silver jewelry with lapis lazuli are rare due to the difference in the price of these metals and the stone itself - it is no longer considered expensive. Although some workshops make personal silver and gold jewelry and decorative items from it, mainly for connoisseurs. This practice is more common in the East.

Lapis lazuli beads of various shapes are sold on the market for home craft items and for the needs of hand-makers.

How to recognize a fake

Artificially grown minerals that imitate lapis lazuli are rarely found on the market. Basically, colored low-value varieties of lapis lazuli or stones of a different nature - cacholong, jasper, chalcedony - are passed off as high-quality stones. Painted “lapis lazuli” glass is also available.

The main way to identify a fake at home is to dip a stone in water. On the imitation, the liquid will collect in small drops, while the natural stone will remain evenly moist. In addition, a true blue tit looks brightest in sunlight, but dims in twilight or electric light.

How to wear and care

Caring for lapis lazuli is easy. Avoid accidental impacts of the stone on hard objects, wash with clean running water (you can use household chemicals - the stone is resistant to acids and alkalis, except hydrochloric acid), store separately from harder stones in a soft bag.

You should wear lapis lazuli sporadically, no longer than 4–5 hours a day, if you do not need long-term meditation. From March 16 to 21, in the last ten days of Pisces, clean the stone with running water - river water, from a stream, etc. In the first decade of Aries, you can recharge any stone, including lapis lazuli, with the energy of Fire. To do this, circle the stone clockwise around the candle flame three times.

Time to buy

The best time to purchase lapis lazuli is the second week of the lunar month, before the full moon.

Lapis lazuli— Na 6 Ca 2 (AlSiO 4) 6 (SO 4 ,S,Cl) 2 - an opaque mineral from blue to bluish-gray or greenish-gray, the best stones are juicy blue or blue-violet, as well as deep blue. Lapis lazuli is a sodium-calcium aluminosilicate of bright blue, violet-blue or greenish-blue color. Such shades are due to the presence of sulfur ions. Individual lapis lazuli crystals are very rare; their size does not exceed a pea.

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STRUCTURE

Cubic system, hexatetrahedral type of symmetry 3L 4 2 4L 3 6P. Space group P43n(T 4 d). a 0 = 9.05-9.10. In some varieties rich in sulfide and polysulfide sulfur, the system can be orthorhombic, monoclinic and (rarely) triclinic.
The crystal structure is similar to that of sodalite, the cation-anion clusters are ordered in low-symmetry varieties.

PROPERTIES

The color of lapis lazuli is a thick azure-blue of various shades to violet, sometimes pink, blue or greenish-blue, green. Glass shine. N ~ 1.5 (fluctuates). Hardness 5.5. Fragile. Cleavage according to (110) is imperfect. Density 2.38 - 2.42.
Diagnostic features: lapis lazuli is primarily characterized by its intense bright blue or cyan color both in bulk and in thin sections. It is similar to blue sodalite, but the paragenetic relationships are completely different: the first is with alkali silicates, the second is with calcite and dolomite. It also differs from sodalite in the release of H 2 S during decomposition with acids. Under the blowpipe, it swells and easily fuses into white glass. After heating to a dark red heat, it sometimes intensifies its color. It decomposes in HCl, releases H2S (smelled) and after evaporation leaves gelatinous silica.

MORPHOLOGY

Crystals are rare, most often represented by rhombic dodecahedrons, rarely cubic and octahedral. Usually found in continuous dense masses, in the form of fine-grained aggregates, forming veins. Often lapis lazuli is also called a heterogeneous blue-blue polymineral rock formed by the dense intergrowth of grains of lapis lazuli, sodalite, dolomite, calcite and other minerals.
Lapis lazuli is valued for the beauty of its enchanting blue color, which comes in a wide range of shades. The color of the stone varies from soft turquoise to bright blue and purple. To the naked eye, the stone may appear entirely blue, sometimes it is white with blue stripes, and often contains inclusions of small grains of irregularly shaped pyrite.
There are three main varieties of lapis lazuli:

Niili– an indigo-blue stone, which has the greatest value;
Asmani– a stone of lesser value, having a sky blue color;
Fursi- an inexpensive greenish-blue stone.

Dark indigo-blue lapis lazuli stones that do not have visible light inclusions are most valued. Dark blue stones with a violet tint, interspersed with pyrite, sparkling with gold and silver tints are also highly valued. All other varieties of lapis lazuli are used in the manufacture of costume jewelry, cladding, figurines and tableware.
The deposit has a great influence on the color of lapis lazuli. Thus, Afghan lapis lazuli shines with golden sparkles of pyrite inclusions. Baikal lapis lazuli is blue in different shades with white spots and stripes intertwined into beautiful patterns. The color of the stone also depends on the presence of sulfur. In sunlight, lapis lazuli is bright and sparkling; in electric light, it is dark and dull. In ultraviolet rays, lapis lazuli sometimes luminesces with a faint orange light.

ORIGIN

Rare deposits are confined to contacts of alkaline igneous rocks (syenites, granites and their pegmatites) with carbonate rocks. In association with it, in addition to calcite, pyrite is often observed in the form of small grains, clearly visible on polished samples, as well as cancrinite and other minerals, with the exception of quartz. Occasionally found in alkaline lavas (Vesuvius). The mineral lapis lazuli is formed metamorphically in contact-metamorphosed marbles; found in crystalline limestones (as a product of metasomatism). Lapis lazuli deposits are associated with magnesian and, less commonly, calcareous skarns.
The Malo-Bystrinskoye deposit, famous in Russia, is located in the Tunka Mountains, on the Slyudyanka River in the Southern Baikal region, where lapis lazuli was formed metasomatically as a result of reactions between pegmatite and dolomite rocks. Here it is accompanied by light-colored diopside, scapolite, phlogopite and calcite, cancrinite, sometimes pyrite and native sulfur. The first discoveries of lapis lazuli in this area were made in 1784 (at the direction of local peasants).
The oldest deposit, which enjoyed great fame and was described by Marco Polo (1271), is the Sary-Sang deposit in Badakhshan (Afghanistan), where masses of lapis lazuli of different shades (from indigo to blue) were formed metasomatically in limestones. A similar Lyajvardara deposit is known near Sary-Sang, in the Western Pamirs (Tajikistan).

APPLICATION

As a beautiful ornamental stone, lapis lazuli has attracted attention for a long time. This stone is mentioned by writers of ancient centuries from various countries. In ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, lapis lazuli enjoyed particular fame as a raw material for the preparation of durable and beautiful natural paint.
Antique products made of lapis lazuli in the form of bowls, boxes, rings, figurines, amulets and many trinkets are widely known. In the 17th century, lapis lazuli stone was used to decorate jewelry, furniture and fireplaces. In the form of a thin facing material, it was used for inlays in combination with gold, bronze and other metals. The varieties of cornflower blue color interspersed with pyrite were especially valued. We find this stone in St. Petersburg in the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral, on the walls of the Winter Palace, in the Hermitage in vases, tables, etc. In jewelry, dark blue homogeneous lapis lazuli without visible light inclusions is used. Jewelry varieties include dense lapis lazuli of dark blue, cornflower blue and violet color; it is processed into cabochons or plates. In the most expensive Badakhshan lapis lazuli, numerous golden sparkles of pyrite inclusions are common.

Decorative vases, boxes, and figurines are made from lapis lazuli. In the form of thin plates, they are used for inlay in artistic mosaic works, as well as for cladding columns, fireplaces, etc. One of the most valuable and most ancient mineral pigments.
Ground lapis lazuli is a natural pigment of ultramarine, also called lapis lazuli. It does not cover well in oil, so it is usually used in other binders (resin, tempera, water paints (watercolors), etc.) even when used on paintings, mainly painted with oil paints. In oriental painting, pigment began to be used much earlier than in Europe, but not earlier than the 6th-7th centuries. For example, ultramarine was widely used in the paintings of Kizil (Chinese Turkestan), the temples of Bamiyan (Afghanistan), ancient Sogd (Afrasiab, Penjikent, Shahristan, etc.) and other monuments along the Silk Road. Low quality ultramarine was also used in Byzantine manuscripts as early as the 7th century.

Mechanical chronometer "Tuareg". The clothes and headband are made of Afghan and Pamir lapis lazuli. Lapis lazuli found great use in the works of medieval miniaturists. The most revealing is the series of manuscripts from the 15th - early 16th centuries, which opens with the Magnificent Book of Hours of the Duke of Berry. The miniatures of this book of hours are one of the first examples of reliable depictions of landscapes in European medieval painting. Unlike earlier manuscripts, the background for the landscapes is not a gold or ornamental background, but an image of the sky, for which water-based paint based on lapis lazuli was used. Medieval manuscripts gave the impression of genuine jewelry not only due to the quality and richness of the illustrations, but also due to pigments made from precious and semi-precious minerals, including lapis lazuli.

Natural ultramarine was used in painting until the end of the 20s. XIX century, when it was supplanted by cheap artificial ultramarine, the prize for the invention of which was received by J.-B. Guimet in 1828 in Toulouse. Almost simultaneously, similar methods for producing ultramarine were introduced by Christian Gmelin in Tübingen and F. A. Kötig in Meissen. By 1830, factories producing this paint were operating in France and Germany.

The handle of the official seal of the President of Ukraine is made of lapis lazuli.

Lazurite - Na 3 Ca(Si 3 Al 3) O 12 S

CLASSIFICATION

Strunz (8th edition)	8/J.11-40
Nickel-Strunz (10th edition)	9.FB.10
Dana (8th edition)	76.2.3.4
Hey's CIM Ref.	17.9.1