Lapis Lazuli

Item Description

A classic specimen of Lapis Lazuli from the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan. Mining has taken place in this area for thousands of years, and Lapis was traded around the world, as the Silk Road crossed through Badakhshan. Marco Polo wrote about Lapis in the year 1271, as he visited the mining areas in the Kokcha Valley. Lapis essentially is a rock composed primarily of the blue mineral Lazurite (which has just recently be re-approved as a valid species), along with minor white Calcite and metallic golden Pyrite. This piece is a classic example featuring all three minerals. A beautiful piece of this beloved historic material. From the collection of Vasco Trancoso, a medical doctor and prominent mineral collector from near Lisbon, Portugal (https://www.mindat.org/user-11954.html). He assembled his mineral collection over the course of 60 years, and built a fine worldwide display collection that we recently purchased.