Lapis is best known for it’s rich and deep blue color often having a matrix of gold colored pyrite flecks or "fools gold". Cultures of the ancient world considered the stone as one of their most precious commodities and was very often valued as much as gold. Lapis had a number of uses in these cultures including being used in medicines, cosmetics and even paintings. The gems were believed to have magical properties in easing eye problems, asthma and was used to relieve anxiety and to induce slumber. Many painters during the Middle Ages were known to mix powdered Lapis with oil to achieve a brilliant aquamarine color.

Lapis has been continuously mined in Afghanistan for over 6000 years and is still being mined today at the oldest mine in the world. At that time in history, Afghanistan was known as Babylon. An abundance of lapis jewelry was discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamen, the Pharaoh of Egypt and the gem was even found in ancient burial sites up to 1000 years earlier.

Today, the use of lapis in combination with the production of sterling silver jewelry is quite compatible. The gem wears very well in spite of it’s relative softness and takes a beautiful and lustrous shine. Most of the gem used today is formed into cabochons and widely used in the making of traditional and contemporary Native American jewelry designs. Lapis jewelry is still very popular and in much demand to the discriminating collector. Although the best quality of the gem is considered to be a uniformly dark blue color with no white spots, a lesser quality specimen is known as denim lapis and is identified by it’s lighter blue color mixed with white spots. Getting it’s name from the color of faded denim material, the stone is, never the less, very popular in the making of denim lapis jewelry. In spite of the fact that this stone is somewhat inferior in quality, it is also very popular in combination with the making of Native American sterling silver jewelry.