Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is one of the most precious forms of mineral used in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. It is a silicate that has a light fixed strong blue colour, and used in jewellery. One thing that makes it precious is that it is only mined in large amounts in what will become Afghanistan, and Lake Baikai in Siberia, with small deposits found in Italy & throughout the rest of the Indian subcontinent. Another, perhaps more so, reason is that it has been used for millennia, in many countries & nations, to make a strong blue pigment usually ultramarine blue. It is usually traded up & down the Silk Road as a precious commodity, both in it's original form, and ground into a dust to be turned into paint or dye. Because of the price of it, especially when processed, only the most wealthy or specialists in using it will look to buy it.

Type

Ore/Mineral