Gem Profile 1:   Lapis

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History and Romance

Gem Qualities

Enhancements

Care and Cleaning

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History and Romance:
        It was called saphiros, the sapphire of the ancient Sumerians.  Originating from the land of Persia, the gem was mined and traded among the conquerors of the world.  Its royal blue color was a perfect contrast to the pure gold in King Tutankhamen's burial mask.  Cleopatra wore ground-up lapis as eye shadow.  Once its magical color was appreciated, lapis was used to create luxurious blue paints.
        Lapis luzuli, mineralogically named lazurite, is an ornamental gem material, an opaque gem, most often rock-like and composed of many minerals, and sometimes accented by tiny inclusions of iron pyrite--fool's gold flecks encased deep blue lazurite--and other sodium aluminum silicates.  Lapis has been an alternate birthstone for the month of December, along with turquoise and zircon.

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Gem Qualities:
        Lapis in darker and more pure royal blue- sometimes purplish blue- is what most jewelers expect.  This material most often comes from Afghanistan.  Chilean and Chinese lapis may have other minerals in the mix that cause the color to lighten, appear somewhat greenish, or contain areas of white calcite veining.

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Enhancements:
        Commonly dyed, this weak- or unevenly- colored material is enhanced by organic coloring agents.  Some dye can be removed using acetone, commonly found in fingernail polish remover.  A quick rub with a Q-tip soaked in acetone should remove the dye, leaving a blue stain on the white cotton.  (This does not work in all cases, but in those that it does, remember that the piece will be discolored in the tested area).  The acetone test may not work on some dyed material that has been sealed with wax or paraffin.  In this case, using a hot-point to sweat the wax could be the key to identification of dyed material.  Naturally colored blue sodalite can make for good lapis substitute, especially when you consider that natural lapis is partially made up of sodalite. 

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Care and Cleaning:
        Wipe only with mild soap and water, since the material can be somewhat porous.  Its hardness and ability to take a hit is quite limited:  Lapis ranks only 5.5 on the Mohs scale and is classified as "brittle".

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