A stone believed to encourage wisdom and enlightenment, it is the stone of the ancient Egyptian goddess, Isis. Considered one of the most powerful stones, it also encourages leadership. It is considered powerful because of its high vibration.

AKA: “Stone of Higher Awareness”

Color: Deep blue with white and gold flecks

Origins: Afghanistan, Angola, Burma, Canada, Chile, Italy, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, United States

Formation: Formed by metamorphosed limestone containing lazurite, pyrite (the gold glitter) and calcite (the white flecks).

Benefits: encourages intuition, promotes awareness, increases mental clarity

Healing Properties: believed to prevent miscarriages, relieves stress, prevents dementia

Chakra: Third Eye

Lapis lazuli in raw, matte bead and polished gemstone varieties

History: The brilliant blue hue called ultramarine in Renaissance paintings were created from crushed lapis lazuli. Lapis is Latin for “stone.” Lazuli comes from Latin and Persian for “blue” or “heaven.” The stone was used extensively in ancient Egyptian for jewelry, amulets and other decoration. Mines in Afghanistan have been worked for 6,000 years.

Zodiac: Sagittarius, Aries, Aquarius, Taurus

Birthstone Association Month: September/ December

Tip: Do not use a wet method for cleaning lapis lazuli as its porous composition will dissolve.

Shop Alyson Jon Life styles with lapis lazuli.

Want to know more about gemstones? Here are my sources.