Classic Lapis Lazuli Graduated Bead Necklace

The beautifully polished 9mm-14mm natural Afghan Lapis beads are complemented with a pretty gold over .925 silver decorative hook clasp. This classic graduated design measures 19 inches.

Each bright blue Lapis bead displays the characteristic pyrite flecks and calcite.

Lapis Lazuli, Lapis for short, is a deep blue semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Lapis lazuli was being mined in the Sar-i Sang mines and in other mines in the Badakhshan province in northeast Afghanistan as early as the 7th millennium BCE. It was used for the eyebrows on the funeral mask of King Tutankhamun (1341–1323 BCE).

Today mines in northeast Afghanistan and Pakistan are still the major source of lapis lazuli. Important amounts are also produced from mines west of Lake Baikal in Russia, and in the Andes mountains in Chile. Smaller quantities are mined in Italy, Mongolia, the United States and Canada.

Note: If you would like to have a gold-filled extender chain added please indicate on purchase order.