Lapis Lazuli

Quality pendant with  modern silver bail

Source Afghanistan

Bail hole 5 mm

Natural  untreated stone 

 Mohs scale 5 to 5.5

Weight of pendant 24.8  CTS APP

Size 44x 8.8x8.8 MM  APP.

Lapis lazuli has been mined in the Badakhshan  province of  Afghanistan for 6,500 years.

The finest color is intense blue, lightly dusted with small flecks of golden pyrite. There should be no white calcite veins and the pyrite inclusions should be small. Stones that contain much calcite at all or too much pyrite are not as valuable. Patches of pyrite are an important help in identifying the stone as genuine and do not detract from its value. Often, inferior lapis is dyed to improve its color, but this is often a very dark blue with a noticeable