Lapis Lazuli "Neon Tide" XPL

What is Lapis Lazuli?

Long revered by royalty and given a religious status, lapis lazuli’s history dates back to 3000BC, a time when statues and carvings of the stone are known to have crossed ancient trade routes. While lapis is found in several locations around the world, even Colorado, the most beautiful lapis reigns from the Badakshan Province of Afghanistan. 

Under the Microscope

The ultramarine blue from lazurite is the star in the transmitted, plane-polarized light design. The simpler tri-color palette keeps your attention on the brilliance of the blue unique to lazurite (Fresco design). 

In transmitted, cross-polarized light, brilliant and striking colors play against a dark background of lazurite and pyrite, showing the vibrancy of clinopyroxene and mica under the microscope (Neon Tide design).