Lapis lazuli is a rich blue opaque, semi-precious stone that has been used in jewelry since ancien times Ground-up lapis lazuli was once used as a pigment for oil paintings Lapis lazuli is often dyed to deepen and improve its color Lapis has a hardness of 5 5; it chips and scratches easily It has a specific gravity of 2 4 to 2 9 Water can dull its sheen Lapis lazuli contains the minerals calcite (which decreases its value), pyrite (which can increase its value), and sodalite Swiss lapis is not Lapis lazuli at all; it is dyed jasper Denim lapis is relatively pale, low-grade, inexpensive lapis from Chile; it is the color of denim cloth because of calcite inclusions (which whiten the color and lower the value)
Lapis lazuli is a bright blue stone, used especially in making jewellery. Semiprecious stone valued for its deep-blue colour caused by the presence of the mineral lazurite, which is the source of the pigment ultramarine. Lapis lazuli is not a single mineral but an intergrowth lazurite with calcite, pyroxene, and commonly small grains of pyrite. The most important mines are in Afghanistan and Chile. Much of what is sold as lapis is an artificially dyed jasper from Germany that shows colourless specks of clear, crystallized quartz and never the goldlike flecks of pyrite that are characteristic of lapis lazuli
Throat chakra Stone of teachers Clarity and ease of expression of higher wisdom Stimulates wisdom, truthfulness, & psychic experiences, healing and strengthening when worn next to the skin Strengthens mind and body to spiritual awareness Understand the mind Expanding your viewpoint It is good for connecting the heart and the mind when worn over the heart PLANET: Venus, Neptune