Lapis lazuli is a deep-blue metamorphic rock valued as a gem for thousands of years. Its rich ultramarine color comes from the mineral lazurite, usually flecked with brassy gold pyrite and white calcite. Historically mined in Afghanistan, lapis is used in Southwestern jewelry as beads and inlay.
Lapis lazuli is not a single mineral but a rock — a blend dominated by deep-blue lazurite, with white calcite and golden flecks of pyrite woven through it. The finest lapis is an intense, even ultramarine with just enough pyrite to sparkle; too much calcite mottles the color and lowers the grade.
Lapis is one of humanity's oldest treasured stones, mined in the mountains of Afghanistan (the Sar-e-Sang deposits) for over six thousand years and traded across the ancient world. Ground lapis was the source of ultramarine, the most precious blue pigment of Renaissance painting — part of the romance the stone still carries.
In Native American jewelry, lapis is a relative newcomer compared with turquoise, but its deep blue and gold flecks make it a natural partner to sterling silver and a striking accent in inlay alongside turquoise, coral, and shell. It appears as cabochons, beads, and inlay elements in contemporary Southwestern work. Navajo and Zuni silversmiths set it as a bold solitaire and as a deep-blue counterpoint to turquoise in inlay, where the two blues play against one another and the gold pyrite picks up the silver of the setting.
Lapis is moderately hard but can be dyed or reconstituted to deepen pale material, so disclosure matters here too. Natural, well-saturated lapis with fine pyrite is the most valued. Keep it away from chemicals and prolonged water, and wipe it clean with a soft cloth.
Look for natural, untreated stone of good color, set by a named maker. A reputable seller distinguishes natural lapis from dyed or reconstituted material as a matter of course.