Lapis Lazuli polished block, Sar-e-sang — 75 g

Description

This is a polished block of Lapis Lazuli showing a deep blue body with distinct white–grey banding and scattered metallic-looking sparkly flecks across the surface. The piece has a smooth, roughly rectangular form with sharp polished edges and an even, slightly reflective polish. The block measures 4.0 × 3.3 × 1.6 cm and weighs 75 g. Opaque in appearance, the surface polish accentuates the contrasting pale veins and the small metallic-looking particles set into the blue matrix. is noted on the polished faces. Lapis lazuli is a rock dominated by the blue mineral lazurite and commonly contains white calcite and metallic pyrite or similar opaques; the white banding and metallic-looking flecks here reflect that typical internal contrast found in many lapis examples from Sar-e-sang, Afghanistan.