Used for thousands of years to make works of art and sacred artifacts, Lapis Lazuli is a luxury crystal. Today it is used in many jewelry pieces at a reasonable price. Let yourself be guided by its deep blue color and discover its history, its meaning and its many physical and psychic benefits.
Rich in history and legend, lapis lazuli is a stone that has always fascinated mankind with its intense blue hues. In prehistoric times, lapis lazuli stone was already used as an ornament, but also as jewelry. Among its symbolism, lapis lazuli stone represents health, nobility, luck, elegance and purity.
For these many reasons, lapis lazuli is considered a semi-precious stone and has been present on Earth for over 6000 years, since the appearance of man.
3000 years before Christ, the Egyptian pharaohs used lapis lazuli stone to make eye-shaped amulets and symbolic objects such as scarabs. Pharaohs and royalty would encrust lapis lazuli on their funeral masks and other symbols of wealth such as jewelry, lapis lazuli pendants, etc.
For the Egyptians, lapis lazuli was a symbol of divine strength, power and courage. They associated the color blue with immortality and infinity. That is why they placed this stone inside the tombs, to protect the dead and accompany them in death.
The Romans used lapis lazuli as an aphrodisiac. However, they traded lapis lazuli with great difficulty, as transportation costs were very high, as the stone had to cross the seas due to the location of the first deposits discovered.
At that time, gold was less expensive than lapis lazuli, which explains the fact that it is found on many types of jewelry, such as lapis lazuli bracelets. Later, during the Middle Ages, the powder of the lapis lazuli stone was used to dye fabrics and paint on other materials.
In the past, lapis lazuli also had a role in protecting the soul, especially fear or envy and not to fall into error. Its particularity from a physical point of view is to protect all the members of the human body.
When ground into powder, lapis lazuli stone turns into an ultramarine pigment. Some very famous works of art such as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel or The Girl with a Pearl by Johannes Vermeer are provided with this ultramarine pigment.
The name of the stone lapis lazuli comes from 2 distinct origins. Firstly a Latin origin, since "lapis" means stone and the second origin is Arabic, "azul" meaning blue. Lapis lazuli means the blue stone. Lapis lazuli stone belongs to the group of aluminum and sodium sulfur silicates.
Its dominant color is azure blue, but it is also possible to find it in blue-green and violet colors. On the Mohs scale, its hardness varies between 5 and 6. Its density varies between 2.5 and 3.
The first deposits were found more than 6000 years ago and were located in Afghanistan. Nowadays, the main deposits of lapis lazuli stone are located in Afghanistan, the United States, Canada, Chile, Myanmar, Pakistan and Russia. The most abundant deposit is in Afghanistan, in a particularly difficult to access area at an altitude of about 2500 meters.
From Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, it takes four days to reach the Sar-e-Sang deposit. In addition, the climatic conditions are so difficult that it is only possible to operate the mine for four months of the year. Although complex and dangerous, this deposit is known to produce the most beautiful lapis lazuli stones in the world.
Recognized worldwide, lapis lazuli stone is the national stone of Chile. It is in this magnificent Latin American country that the second most important mine is found. Located at an altitude of 3500 meters, the Flor de los Andes deposit was already being exploited in pre-Columbian civilizations. Often confused with sapphire, lapis lazuli is a deep, intense and luminous blue.
Before it was called lapis lazuli, it was called "star sapphire" in reference to the small golden spots that glitter on the mineral. In reality, it is yellow pyrite chips embedded in lapis lazuli that give the impression of golden glitter, especially when placed in sunlight.
If a lapis lazuli stone contains too much pyrite, then it loses its value. Indeed, it is the pyrite content that determines the density of lapis lazuli. But the most important factor in estimating its value is of course its color. The more traces of other minerals it contains, the more intense it becomes. The purest stones, especially those from Afghanistan, produce the deep, intense blue that is so sought after in the jewelry world.
In lithotherapy, the lapis lazuli stone is a stone that brings a boost of confidence to the wearer and encourages him to take his life in hand. Lapis lazuli frees and offers a certain facility to communicate one's emotions and feelings. The oral communication is thus favored by this one. The lapis lazuli also brings plenitude and inner peace. Thus, the stress is very quickly evacuated.
Among its properties and virtues, we can above all give it the contribution of honesty, compassion and righteousness. The lapis lazuli stone is also known to eliminate mental tensions. If you are a shy person by nature, it can help you express yourself more spontaneously, without fear of others' gaze.
This ease of communication improves the quality of friendships, family and love relationships. In front of your entourage, and even in front of strangers, you will be able to express yourself clearly and defend your opinions, while remaining calm and attentive.
Stone of serenity, lapis lazuli helps to eliminate stress, anxiety and all the negative thoughts that ruminate in your mind. It gently helps you to overcome fear, fatigue and phases of sadness. So, if you need a helping hand to regain your zest for life and your creative spirit, you should wear a stone that acts on the throat and third eye chakra, such as lapis lazuli.
On the physical level, lapis lazuli stone brings considerable relief for headaches. When the need arises, you can place the stone directly on your forehead for quick relief. Lapis lazuli also fights against sleep disorders and feelings of dizziness.
To enjoy a deep and restful sleep, insomniacs can place a lapis lazuli in their bedroom, under the pillow or on the bedside table. Lapis lazuli facilitates breathing and brings many benefits to the whole ENT sphere and the nervous system.
In addition, the lapis lazuli stone participates in the good functioning of the eyes. Generally, headaches and sleep disorders are strongly linked to visual fatigue.
Associated with the element Water, lapis lazuli has a positive action on the kidneys and the bladder. It regulates the digestive system and soothes pain related to the menstrual cycle. Finally, the minerals present inside lapis lazuli are known to contribute to the good health of muscles and bones.
If you want to wear a lapis lazuli stone, we advise you to wear it at the throat level as it is the stone of communication. Thus, a lapis lazuli necklace is perfectly suitable. Ideally, it should be worn between the top of the head and the sternum, i.e. just above the diaphragm. The lapis lazuli stone acts mainly on the frontal chakra, also called the third eye chakra.
When activated, the frontal chakra promotes intuition, clairvoyance and inner peace. Ideal for practicing meditation, this chakra allows you to free your mind from parasitic thoughts that prevent you from concentrating. Considered as the center of consciousness, the third eye chakra allows you to observe the world with a wider vision.
It awakens the creative spirit and intuition. When unbalanced, the frontal chakra manifests itself as an inferiority or superiority complex, an oversized ego and a certain form of arrogance. Thus, wearing a lapis lazuli allows one to work on spiritual awakening, extra-sensory abilities and perception of the world.
Moreover, the lapis lazuli stone is known to act on the throat chakra. This chakra represents the communication in all its forms. It allows to be with the listening of oneself, but also of the others. It favors creativity, appeasement and letting go. When it is blocked, the throat chakra manifests itself by irrational fears, a strong shyness, a tendency to lie and a great lack of confidence.
If you are often afraid of being abandoned and have a severe lack of self-confidence, you can wear a blue stone such as lapis lazuli near your throat chakra to unblock it. On a daily basis, this stone will help you overcome your fears and regain your confidence.
You will no longer be afraid to express yourself in front of others but you will remain humble, objective and benevolent. By developing your sense of communication, the throat chakra creates a very positive climate in your relationships, and this helps to strengthen the links with your loved ones.
In jewelry, the most common metals used to create lapis lazuli jewelry are yellow gold, rose gold and vermeil, an alloy made of silver and coated with gold. The warm colors blend perfectly with the deep blue of lapis lazuli and its small inclusions of golden yellow. Lapis lazuli can also be mounted on silver jewelry to give it a cooler, more elegant look. Silver jewelry goes very well with lapis lazuli stones spotted with whitish inclusions.
In crystal healing, lapis lazuli stone goes well with cold stones with soothing properties such as amethyst, blue apatite, azurite, fluorite, labradorite, moonstone and sodalite. To work on opening the throat chakra, you can combine it with blue stones such as larimar, aquamarine, blue aventurine or selenite. All these stones give off similar energies which are intended to enhance calm and serenity.
On the other hand, it is not recommended to associate a lapis lazuli stone with a red jasper, a malachite, a black obsidian or an onyx. These stones have conflicting energies that are far too powerful and energizing to let lapis lazuli express itself. If you still want to wear them on the same day, you can wear them separately on different jewelry, but never side by side.
Lapis lazuli is a fragile stone that requires special attention in its care. To preserve its powers and its intense blue color, you must remember to purify and recharge it regularly. Purification of lapis lazuli can be done with water, earth or incense.
The simplest solution is to let your lapis lazuli soak overnight in a container of distilled or spring water.
Avoid salt, hot water and tap water as they may weaken your stone prematurely. To finish cleaning, gently wipe your stone with a clean cloth to limit the appearance of scratches.
After purifying your lapis lazuli stone, you can recharge it with moonlight. Place your stone for a few hours under the moonlight to regain all its original energies.
On the other hand, sunlight is too aggressive for lapis lazuli. You can use a cluster of quartz or an amethyst geode to optimize this recharging ritual.
White quartz and amethyst are ideal for increasing the power of other minerals. If you carry out these purification and recharging rituals with care, your lapis lazuli stone will offer you all its benefits for many years.