Lapis Lazuli - meaning 'Heavenly Stone' in Latin from Persian roots - is one of the most recognisable minerals of the Western World. Used throughout history in its polished form for jewellery, mosaic and intaglio and in the decorative arts for items such as vases, bowls and even structural columns, the magnificent blue Lapis has been revered and valued since the Neolithic. 

It was famously ground into a powder, forming the pigment known as ultramarine - meaning 'from beyond the sea' referring to its importation to Europe from mines in Afghanistan. While an artificial version of the colour was synthetised in the 19th Century, the colour has long been associated with the majestic, sublime, heavenly and holy, from Zoroastrian and Buddhist Temples, to Ancient Egyptian funerary statuary, Rennaissance depictions of the heavenly skies and the Virgin Mary, Vermeer's Girl with the Pearl Earring (c.1665) and the infamous Yves Klein Blue (c.1954-1983).

• Sustainably Sourced in Afghanistan. 
• Approximate Dimensions (cm): 16 x 8
• Approximate Weight (kg): 0.4