Lapis LazuliSphereExtra Quality Nice dark blue with beautiful bands of gold. Information: Handmade gemstone spheres make these one of a kind pieces of wearable, decorative or architetural art truly unique. The sphere as a shape is an ancient and universal symbol that represents unity, completeness, infinity - the whole universe. Weight range: 200g to 250g Category: Rock Chemical Formula: (Na,CA)8(AlSiO4)6(SO4,S,Cl)2 Colour: blue, green hue Class: Silicate Group: Isometric Formations: dodecahedral Lazurite crystals, usually massive as a rock (lapis lazuli) Lustre: dull, translucent to opaque Cleavage: none Varieties: Lazurite Brief Description: Lapis Lazuli is a rock typically composed of Lazurite, Calcite, Pyrite and Sodalite. Lazurite content is greater than 25% of Lapis Lazuli rock. Lazurite is a sodium calcium aluminium silicate sulphur sulphate mineral. Lazurite crystals are rare, but stunningly blue, often growing from a Calcite or Limestone matrix. Lapis Lazuli is characterised by a deep blue colour, with flecks of Pyrite; the less black or white streaks in the rock, the more valuable the stone. Lapis Lazuli is used in the jewellery trade, and is often carved into ornamental sculptures. Mythology: Lapis lazuli has been mined in Afghanistan and exported to the Mediterranean world and South Asia since the Neolithic age.Lapis lazuli beads have been found at Mehrgarh, a neolithic site near Quetta in Pakistan, on the ancient trade route between Afghanistan and the Indus Valley, dating to the 7^th millennium. Lapis was also used in ancient Mesopotamia by the Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians for seals and jewelry. In the Mesopotamian poem, the Epic of Gilgamesh (17^th-18^th Century BC); one of the oldest known works of literature; lapis lazuli is mentioned several times. The Statue of Ebih-Il, a 3^rd millennium BC statue found in the ancient city-state of Mari in modern-day Syria, now in the Louvre, uses lapis lazuli inlays for the irises of the eyes. Usage: Lapis takes an excellent polish and can be made into jewelry, carvings, boxes, mosaics, ornaments, and vases. It was also ground and processed to make the pigment ultramarine, widely used during the Renaissance in frescoes and oil painting. Its usage as a pigment in oil paint largely ended in the early 19^th century when a chemically identical synthetic variety became available. A stone of truth, Lapis encourages honesty of the spirit, and in the spoken and written word. Wear it for all forms of deep communication. It is also a stone of friendship and brings harmony in relationships. A Lapis grid brings