Lazurite

Sar-e-Sang, Kuran wa Munjan District, Badakhshan, Afghanistan

6,5x6x3,5 cm. ( Lazurite crystal 1,8×1,2×1 cm.)

This specimen features a prominent single, well-formed Lazurite crystal with classic, intense blue color and good luster sitting on contrasting white marble matrix, and can be considered a nice example of this classic and fine quality material from Afghanistan.

Lazurite has been known for thousands of years and is the blue part of the stone Lapis Lazuli; the finest quality are from Afghanistan but crystals of Lazurite are often rather distorted, rarely showing good shape.