Lapis Lazuli

Lapis lazuli is a semiprecious blue stone. It is a rock made of several minerals, mainly lazurite, calcite, and pyrite. Lazurite gives it its rich blue color. It may also have white areas of calcite and small gold-colored spots of pyrite.

People in the ancient world often used lapis lazuli to make jewelry and decorations. Some ancient stones translated as “sapphire” may have been lapis lazuli, but their exact identity is uncertain.

See Minerals and Metals; Precious Stones.