Gambia Lapis Lazuli Birthstone Gold Diamond Girl Fashion Jewellery 17

Gambia Lapis Lazuli Birthstone Gold Diamond Girl Fashion Jewellery. 

By Aamir Mannan

The name “lapis lazuli” comes from the Persian “lazhward”, and literally means “blue stone”. Throughout the Latin speaking Roman World, however, the word “sapphirus” was used (with the same meaning), and has lead to speculation that in certain historical sources, the “sapphires” of antiquity were really lapis. The Egyptians long valued this stone, not only as a source of carving and inlay material, but also in ground form as a cosmetic. If you’ve ever wondered who to blame for bright blue eyeshadow.

Painters from pre-Renaissance times until the Modern Era used ground lapis as their pigment “ultramarine”, and that old formula is still used today by museum conservators (and forgers!)