Wild beauty of Lapis Lazuli

If I say lapis lazuli you should think directly vivid deep blue colour with whitish and golden inclusions. And to be honest with you, that is it! 

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Lapis lazuli is a metamorphic rock composed mainly by lazurite, pyrite and calcite displaying a mottled appearance. It has a very deep and vivid ultramarine blue colour and it is almost always opaque. This is why you mainly find it cut as cabochon rather than a faceted stone. It has a hardness of 5.5 at Mohs scale. Contact with acids and warm chemicals should be avoided. Additionally, lapis lazuli usually shows an uneven fracture so you should be careful when mounting it on jewellery. Vitreous and sometimes resinous lustre is one of the characteristics of this beautiful stone. If you want to buy genuine pieces of lapis lazuli and not imitations, make sure to check that the stone contains both the white inclusions of calcite and the golden inclusions of pyrite.If one of them is missing, then it is very probable that the stone you bought is not a real lapis lazuli! On the photo below you can have a look at a cabochon cut lapis lazuli, lied on a lemon so that you can see how vivid its colour is!

Cabochon cut lapis lazuli

This ultramarine colour of lapis lazuli is the favourite colour of many people, because it might be vivid but it is also very chic and alltime classic! Personally, I believe that it is an alltime year colour, because it can fit all the seasons! Thus, the jewellery with this gemstone will be worn all year long. You can opt for golden ones, which are more suitable for summer and autumn or silver ones, which are preferable for winter and spring! The first photo depicts a ring in 14carat gold filled with a round cabochon cut lapis lazuli by feather + stone. It can be ordered on your personal ring size, either through their official website or throught the website of Wolf&Badger. This is a website with different brands and independent designers.

Ring in 14carat gold filled with round cabochon cut lapis lazuli by feather + stone

The second piece that I want to share with you is a pair of earrings (not something unexpected from me ;-) ) called le rêve(=the dream) in gold metal with pear cabochon cut lapis lazuli by Salome. This pair of earrings will fit perfectly either a pair of jeans shorts with a linen top or a maxi dress in a white, beige, pink or dusty yellow colour!

Pair of earrings in gold metal with pear cabochon cut lapis lazuli by Salome

Last but not least is a very summery pair of earrings from my personal collection of jewellery. It was bought from a Greek island during summer season and it is made in a gold plated metal with cabochon cut lapis lazuli and chalcedony. If you visit Greek islands this summer, you can find very affordable pieces of jewelllery, which you can buy and keep them forever.These pieces will always remind you of your holidays!

Pair of earrings in gold plated metal with cabochon cut lapis lazuli and chalcedony