Lapis lazuli beads (dyed) - Blue at its best!

lapis lazuli

Locations Lapis Lazuli

The popular stone lapis lazuli comes in blue and green blue colors. Because it is a combination of minerals it is a rock which lazurite is the main ingredient. It does not lazurite as another word for our beloved blue stone. In addition to lazurite are the other minerals in a part of the rock pyrite, augite, hauyne, calcite and diopside. The quality of the rock is not the same on all sites. In Afghanistan, the best quality is found; deep royal blue with evenly distributed over the stone pyrite. The lapis lazuli is the most expensive.

Dyed?

Other qualities Lapis often show the mineral calcite. Calcite has a white color which is not greatly appreciated in lapis. The price of this quality is attractive. Therefore it is sometimes dyed. The white calcite particles will get the blue color.
Not only lapis itself is touched. Several minerals are blue stained so they like (imitation) lapis can be sold. The commercially known Swiss and German lapis is actually blue stained Jasper. Because this lapis has no Pyrietkorreltjes is indistinguishable from the real lapis lazuli. Berlin blue is used as a coloring agent, or cobalt species. Using cobalt species we see a red color for Chelsea color filter.

In the last century appeared mid 50s a synthetic Spinel on the market that with cobalt colored. With the granular structure, good blue color and strewn goudschubjes resembling Pyrite, one got the impression that one has to do with real lapis lazuli from.

Regular Ilona and Os go for shopping to Asia. They have personal contact with suppliers so that they also indicate the lapis lazuli is dyed or not. You can see that reflected in the price. In addition, buy really lapis lazuli i.p.v. dyed a different mineral.