Lapis Lazuli Freeform

A polished lapis lazuli freeform — shaped to follow the natural contours of the rough stone, then polished flat on one face and left natural on others. Lapis lazuli is not a single mineral but a rock: a combination of lazurite (which gives the blue), calcite (white patches), and pyrite (gold flecks). The ratio and distribution of these components determines the character of each piece.

The best lapis has deep, saturated blue with minimal white and distributed gold — the visual equivalent of a night sky. The blue was so valued in antiquity that lapis was ground to make ultramarine pigment, the most expensive blue paint in the world for centuries. Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring has a lapis blue headscarf. Egyptian pharaohs had lapis lazuli in their burial chambers.

Each freeform is unique. The interplay of deep blue, white calcite streaks, and pyrite flash varies piece to piece. There is no bad version — each tells a different story.