The Royal Blue Stone
Lapis-lazuli
Afghanistan is the world’s leading producer of lapis-lazuli. The archaeological data indicates mining and trading of this stone for more than 7000 years.
Lapis-lazuli from Badakhshan, Afghanistan is still regarded as the world’s premier source in terms of quantity and quality.
Its name is derived from the Latin ‘lapis’, meaning ‘stone’ and the Persian lazhward meaning ‘blue’. It is used to make beads, boxes and other decorative articles, is often carved into figurines and is popular for men’s jewelry.
Lapis is mined in an area known as the ‘Blue Mountain’ on the right bank of the Kokcha River in Badakhshan where it occurs in thick marble. There were formerly seven mines extracting lapis-lazuli but today there is only one, the Sary-Sang deposit.
The mine lies at an elevation of around 3500 m where, on account of low winter temperatures, it is worked only between June and September.
Lazurite from Sar-e-Sang District, Kokcha Valley, Badakhshan Province — Image from Wikipedia
We currently offer lapis-lazuli in bulk and on demand only.
Fill in the form below to enquire.