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Originating from the Persian word for the gem, lāžward, [1] lapis lazuli is a rock composed primarily of the minerals lazurite, pyrite and calcite. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, [2] in Shortugai, and in other mines in Badakhshan province in modern northeast Afghanistan. [3]
Haüyne or prismatic azure spar is a transparent or translucent mineral, similar to lazurite, in composition sodium and calcium aluminosilicate with the ideal formula (Na,Ca) 4-8 Al 6 Si 6 (O,S) 24 (SO 4,Cl) 1-2 having a blue or blue color, sometimes with a greenish tint, [5] was also known among the azure spars.
The Sar-i Sang lapis lazuli mine probably dates from prehistoric times.It consists of one old disused shaft and two new shafts. This was the main source of lapis lazuli in the ancient world, with lapis from here occurring in such famous archaeological discoveries as the Royal Treasure of Ur and the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
Lazurite is a pigment (opalescent) and has a bright blue streak (especially as a component of the semiprecious stone lapis lazuli). Many hauynes have a white or pale blue streak and are translucent. Many hauynes have a white or pale blue streak and are translucent.
Size: 2.4 cm × 1.7 cm × 0.8 cm (0.94 in × 0.67 in × 0.31 in). Lazulite forms by high-grade metamorphism of silica -rich rocks and in pegmatites . It occurs in association with quartz , andalusite , rutile , kyanite , corundum , muscovite , pyrophyllite , dumortierite , wagnerite , svanbergite , trolleite , and berlinite in metamorphic ...
Lapis lazuli stone was historically mined near Sar-i-Sang in modern-day Afghanistan and traded to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt as early as the third millennium BCE. [17] A method to produce ultramarine from lapis lazuli was introduced by the 5th century for use in Buddhist cave temples. [18]
This trade link likely followed an existing trade route of lapis lazuli, a highly prized semi-precious blue gemstone, and chlorite vessels decorated with turquoise from Central Asia that have been found as far west as Egypt and that date to the same period. [48]
A 17th century English lapidary text. The etymological root of the word lapidary is the Latin word lapis, meaning "stone". [6] In the 14th century, the term evolved from lapidarius, meaning 'stonecutter' or 'working with stone', into the Old French word lapidaire, meaning 'one skilled in working with precious stones'.