Lazurite or Lapis Lazuli is sodium calcium aluminum sulfate silicate. Lapis lazuli is not actually a distinct mineral but a rock consisting mostly of the mineral lazurite in combination with hauynite, sodalite, diopside, white streaks of calcite, and specks of pyrite. It may have been the sapphire of the ancients as Pliny described sapphires with flecks like gold. Lapis was the original coloring agent in ultramarine blue pigment.
There are many imitations of lapis lazuli. Various forms of chalcedony have been dyed blue and offered as Swiss or German Lapis. Better imitations will even add the little particles of pyrite to fool the buyer, though the lapis obtained from Chilean mining typically contains little or no pyrite. The best specimens come from Afghanistan and are very rare.
Many cultures consider lapis lazuli a holy stone. The Ten Commandments were allegedly inscribed on tablets of lapis, and Godís throne is also carved from this rock. Christians declared it sacred to Mary, but this was probably borrowed from Egyptian usage. Lapis was sacred to Isis who was incidentally refer to as the throne of god because she is often depicted holding Horus, her son, in her lap. In Egypt, only the royal family and priests were permitted to wear this stone. According to legend, offerings were made to Ra before a lapis lazuli and gold eye inscribed with the 140 chapters of the Egyptian book of the Dead. The god Ra placed the amulet upon his head. In Macedonia, it was used to ward of miscarriages. The Sumerians said that the Goddess in her aspect as an underworld deity lived beneath a mountain of lapis. In China, offerings of this stone were made to the Lord of the Universe. Charms were carved in the shapes of pomegranates and bats for a long and successful life. Japanese and Shinto tradition use the tsuru, a crane symbol, engraved into lapis for good luck.
Called the Stone of Heaven, Lapis is said to bestow the gifts of strength and self-assurance upon its wearer. It was often used in love charms and considered one of the best charms to ensure fidelity. Necklaces were made for children to protect their health and fend off fearful thought. Melancholy and painful nerves also improved with the use of this stone. Combined with rutilated topaz, lapis may be used to increase psychic sensitivity and shield and build the aura.
Lapis Lazuli strengthens the skeletal, respiratory, and circulatory systems and the thyroid gland. It was used as an antidote for snakebite and to improve eyesight. Lapis was suggested for ulcers, boils and other sores, intestinal cancers, earaches, swellings, burns, infections, and wounds of all kinds. Insomnia, dizziness, and vertigo benefit from lapis. It connects with the throat and third eye chakras.