It existed before time, well this is what said about this as old as hills stone. Lapis lazuli has seen generation after generation of the humans on the earth, and humans have also been making the most of it old seer to awaken their latent energies and bring harmony and peace in their lives. The remnants of this stone have been found in almost all the well-known civilizations of the world, especially, in Mesopotamians and Egyptians, the stone was prized quite high. People often seemed to show high reverence to lapis lazuli and it was reckoned a nice stone to bring light, truth and wisdom in the life of wearer.

Lapis lazuli is quite well known as a spiritual tool in which the blue color can be seen at its best, just like many other colors, blue also cast some impacts on humans and the stone which features the best of the blue will definitely give all of it which usually associated with it. Aside from its healing powers, the stone was used for many other purposes in dyes, paints and eye shadow.

Different varieties of gemstones have been identified, and they have also been divided into many different categories, so a collector or gem enthusiast can easily add some spice in his/her list of collection. Usually gemstones are divided into precious and semi precious categories, but some of them have such a composition and structure that it becomes quite difficult to classify them. But most of them can be easily classified and here are some well known kinds of precious and semi precious gemstones.

Diamond:

Diamond is no doubt the king of the gemstone kingdom which has been ruling not only on gemstones world, but also on human hearts for quite some time. Diamond is also quite well known as the hardest natural substance. It’ s the most precious gemstone in the world at present.

Chrysoberyl:

Chrysoberyl is also quite well known for its hardness that has higher quantities of beryllium in it. Apparently, it’s a nice looking gemstone that offers green and yellow shades, and they also have the tendency to change colors in different kinds of light. Alexandrite and Cat’s eye are to well known chrysoberyls that are widely used in different kinds of jewelry.

Ancient Egyptians used to call it the gemstone of the rising sun. This stone is quite well known for its mystical properties and also quite well known for its powers related to anxiety, speech articulation enhancement and to bring harmony in marriage and relationships. The stone was widely used in jewelry by the Romans and Greek. Egyptians have also been mining that stone nearly 1500BC back.  The stone was mined in the areas around Red Sea.

Usually, the mining of this charming stone is done at night as it becomes more prominent because of its natural glow at night. Egyptians miners also believed that peridot could be seen even in the natural sun rays. Many renowned personalities throughout the history had quite an impressive collection of that stone. Cleopatra and Sultans of Ottoman were quite well known for such collections.

In Himalayan mountain regions peridot was abundantly found and its powdered form was used to treat asthma and fever in these areas. People of this region also believed that if something was drunk in a goblet made of peridot could enhance the potency of the drug taken with it. Pirates also used peridot to keep themselves away from evil spirits. Peridot is one of those stones that even men have been wearing in jewelry for quite some time, as they believe that this stone can be very effective for their vitality and strength.

Peridot is available in a wide range of colors including yellow green, sharp green and olive green. It bends and splits rays in such a way that when light passes through it, it gets a sleepy and velvety appearance. A rich glow with impressive luster could also be seen in this stone. In Pakistan a really exciting new deposit of this stone has been found few years back. These Pakistani Peridots are quite unique in their appearance and beauty and they are no doubt, the finest perditos that have ever been seen. This new mine has been found in the Nanga Parbat region in that is located in west of Himalayan Mountains.

If it is said that lapis lazuli is as old as hills, nothing wrong with it. Because of its matchless beauty and associated powers, this royal blue stone has been widely used for various purposes in almost all the well-known human civilizations. Babylonians, Egyptians, Chinese, Romans, Indians and many others used that stone even thousands of years back.

The stone was also reckoned as sapphire in ancient times, and aside from jewelry and healing purposes, the stone was widely used in various forms for decorative purposes. The remnants of lapis lazuli tiles can still be seen in many ancient tombs in Egypt, Syria, Iran and Iraq.

Lapis pendants, , Champagne topaz, blue tourmaline, onyx mosaic and peridot drop are some well known lapis lazuli tiles. These tiles are available in different sizes, and they are being widely used in exterior and interior decoration in kitchens, bathrooms, walls, spas, pools, fountains, floors and many more places.  

Lapis Mosaic Tiles

More often lapis lazuli tiles are handmade and that’s why a slight difference in their texture and color can often be seen. One must inspect these tiles before their installment to some place.

In the past various civilization have been using this stone of azure for various purposes. Some have been reckoning it the stone of peace, harmony, and tranquility, while others were of the view that it could intensify sexual desires. Similarly, we have also heard that beauty queen Cleopatra used its pulverized form as eyeshade and some great spiritual leaders would use lapis lazuli for better meditation and its associated healing powers. Lapis lazuli was also used for medicinal purposes and often used for the treatment of fever, weakness, and to strengthen legs and arms.

 In middle ages, lapis lazuli became an essential part of paintings because of its vivid blue pigment that often expressed the true energy of blue colors and showed it quite prominently in the pictures. As we know well that lapis lazuli is known for its elegant blue color, as blue can be seen at its best in this stone.

These days Lapis lazuli is being used in beads, jewelry items and many other decorative items. Lapis Lazuli is available in different shapes and its tiles have become a part and parcel in many homes who like to give a true blue touch to their surroundings. Now a large number of houses are decorating their walls, bathrooms, pools, fountains and floors with this stone.  Now the trend of lapis lazuli furniture is also emerging in some parts of the world and in many houses various furniture items made of this stone can be seen. No doubt, this furniture seems to give a real blue artistic touch to your home with all its liveliness and vividness.

Gemstones like Turquoise, malachite and lapis lazuli are opaque gemstones that need proper care and attention, as unlike transparent they are not crystals of some single mineral but consisted of rocks instead. These kinds of gemstones are required to clean just with a dry cloth. There can be pores on the surface of these gemstones in which chemical can easily absorb and can damage the beauty and color of the stone. Sometimes people use mild soap to clean these gemstones, but it’s not a right treatment for gemstones like lapis lazuli as this soap often builds up inside the stone and badly affects its color.

These days different chemicals like ammonia and ultrasonic cleaner are also used for cleaning gemstones, you must keep this fact in mind that these solutions can be good for some gemstones, but not for all especially for opaque gemstones like turquoise, malachite and lapis lazuli.

As it is said that all gemstones emit certain type of energy and the associated power of some gemstones is because of this very gemstone. However, sometimes dirt or other chemical deposits serve as a hurdle in the way of smooth release of this energy and thus it can spoil the associated powers of some gemstone.

Lapis lazuli is considered quite effective to boost psychic abilities of a person and similarly it is said that this stone can bring peace, harmony and tranquility in the wearer’s life. There are also many other traits which are associated with the use of this stone, however, these powers can only be utilized fully only if one takes proper care of this stone. Contrarily, if this stone is not handled with care, it may not give all what wearer usually expects from it, as chemicals or other dirt deposits become a hurdle in the way of energy these stone usually emits and which plays a pivotal role in the life of the wearer.

With 5-5.5 hardness on Mohs scale, lapis lazuli is a soft stone and because of this low hardness, it is suspected to chipping and scratches, and that’s why it is quite important to handle this stone with care.

Just with common sense and little bit care, one can add considerable life and luster in one’s gemstone and other precious jewelry.