Lapis lazuli

Lapis lazuli is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a special stone. People have liked its bright color for a very long time. Its name comes from an old Persian word. The word "blue" in many languages comes from this name.

Lapis lazuli is made of several minerals: lazurite, pyrite, diopside, and calcite.

People have mined lapis lazuli since the 7th millennium BC in places like Sar-i Sang and Shortugai in Badakhshan, which is now part of Afghanistan. Very old pieces of lapis lazuli have been found at Bhirrana, a very old site of the Indus Valley Civilisation. Lapis lazuli was important to the Indus Valley Civilisation and has been found in ancient burials in places like Mehrgarh, the Caucasus, and even as far away as Mauritania.

By the end of the Middle Ages, Europe brought lapis lazuli to make a blue powder called ultramarine. This powder was used by famous artists of the Renaissance and Baroque like Masaccio, Perugino, Titian, and Vermeer. They often used it to paint important clothes in their pictures, especially for the Virgin Mary.

History

Lapis lazuli has been used since very old times. People first found it around 4900–4000 BCE in places like Mesopotamia. It likely came from faraway mines, such as in Badakhshan.

The name of this beautiful blue stone comes from old Persian words. These words helped create the word for the color blue in many languages. Today, lapis lazuli is still mined in places such as northeast Afghanistan, west of Lake Baikal in Russia, and in the Andes mountains in Chile. Smaller amounts are also found in Pakistan, Italy, Mongolia, the United States, and Canada.

Science and uses

Lapis lazuli is a beautiful blue stone that is special because of its color. The blue color comes from a special ingredient called lazurite, which is part of the stone. Lapis lazuli also contains other minerals like calcite, which is white, and pyrite, which looks metallic and yellow.

The blue color in lapis lazuli is created by tiny parts of sulfur inside the stone. These parts work together to make the stone look blue. Sometimes, other types of sulfur can make the stone look a bit yellow or red instead.