Lazurite (fine crystal)

Item Description

Lazurite is a well-known mineral from Afghanistan, and although these beautiful crystals have been mined for thousands of years, they weren't always identified as a mineral species, they were only seen as a component of the stone Lapis Lazuli. Certainly, the largest and most well-known examples of Lazurite are found in Afghanistan. The earliest reference I can find for Lazurite dates back to 1869 according to mindat.org, but the material has been known for literally thousands of years. This piece features a decent sized, very sharp, well-formed dodecahedron of dark blue Lazurite measuring 9 mm across aesthetically sitting on marble matrix. It should be noted that over the last several years, Lazurite was discredited as a valid mineral species, and was being classified as a sulfide-bearing variety of Hauyne. Thankfully in 2021, Lazurite was reinstated, so we can now resume labeling all of our Lazurite specimens accurately. The piece is not repaired, and I can't see any damage with the naked eye. A very nice example of this classic and fine quality material from Afghanistan.