Lapis Lazuli
Uncommon · (Na,Ca)₈(AlSiO₄)₆(SO₄,S,Cl)₂
A metamorphic rock rather than a single mineral, made of calcite and pyrite round a deep blue sodalite-group mineral, long called lazurite, which in most specimens analysed is a sulfur-rich haüyne. Worked by people for more than 6,500 years, and ground by Renaissance painters into ultramarine, a costly blue pigment. The finest stones are an even deep blue with no visible calcite, and may show small flecks of golden pyrite.
Rock
- Kind of rock
- Metamorphic rock
- Rock family
- Marble
- Also contains
- Calcite, Pyrite, Diopside
- Uses
- Worked for more than 6,500 years, and ground by Renaissance painters into ultramarine.
Identity
- Formula
- (Na,Ca)₈(AlSiO₄)₆(SO₄,S,Cl)₂
- Chemical class
- Silicate
- Mineral group
- Hauyne, Lazurite, Sodalite
- Also known as
- Lazurite rock, Ultramarine stone
- Used in alchemy
- Lapis Lazuli Powder
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Cubic
- Habits
- Massive, Granular
- Fracture
- Uneven
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 5.5
- Density
- 2.8 g/cm³
- Luster
- Vitreous, greasy
- Colors
- blue, dark blue, violet, blue-green
- Streak
- blue
- Transparency
- Opaque
Geology
- Origins
- Metamorphic
- Host rocks
- Marble, Limestone and chalk
- Associated minerals
- Calcite, Pyrite, Diopside, Hauyne
- Geography
- Afghanistan (Badakhshan), Chile (Coquimbo), Russia (Lake Baikal), Tajikistan (Pamir), Myanmar (Mogok), USA (Colorado)
Classification
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Gem quality
- Yes
Arcane properties
- Affinity
- Arcane, Light
- Effects
- Scrying, Mind
- Planar origin
- Material Plane
Sources
- Lapis lazuli. Mindat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- Lazurite. Mindat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Lazurite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
- Lapis Lazuli. Gemdat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- Lapis Lazuli. Gemological Institute of America, Gem Encyclopedia.
- S. Robertson, BGS Rock Classification Scheme, Volume 2: Classification of metamorphic rocks (Research Report RR 99-02). British Geological Survey, 1999.
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