Lapis Bead

Item Description

Lapis (sometimes refereed to as Lapis Lazuli) is best known from Afghanistan. The historic mines in the Koksha Valley literally date back thousands of years, and pieces are still being collected today. The mines around Sar-E-Sang has been operation for approximately 7000 years, and have produced literally thousands of tons of Lapis over the years. Lapis itself is actually a rock which is composed of a few species i.e., Lazurite / Hauyne and Sodalite, plus streaks of Calcite and Pyrite. The most highly sought after Lapis is the material that shows a solid navy blue color without any streaks of white Calcite and only tiny specs of Pyrite showing. Here we have a beautiful Lapis bead with a rich navy blue hue and the fact that it is so uniform in color makes it very desirable.