Lapis Lazuli

Lapis Lazuli is a beautiful ancient gem; an aggregate of several minerals such as pyrite that create a sparkle, calcite, and mainly lazurite the ingredient responsible for producing the gem’s most prized color-bright royal blue. It is valued for its dark blue to violet blue color. It is an opaque gemstone that often contains small gold or silver pyrite inclusions that run through in veins or layers. 
The mineral owes its name to the Persian word “lazhward’, meaning blue.

Historians believe that the link between humans and Lapis Lazuli reached back more than 6,500 years. The gem was treasured by the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome.
Lapis Lazuli has been used for jewelry since the prehistoric times. Cleopatra used the crushed powder of the Lapis Lazuli crystal in her eye shadow design, the ultimate symbol of an Egyptian pharaoh. During the middle ages it was used as a pigment to produce aquamarine color. Renaissance painters used Lapis to make “ultramarine” blue.

Ancient writings show that this blue stone has been the superb jewel in the land of Nile for at least 5000 years. Due to its beautiful blue color, Lapis Lazuli has been associated with the signs of the mighty heavens since the ancient times. It was called "the stone of heaven" by the ancient people. There are a lot of myths associated with this gemstone. Ancient Egyptians used Lapis Lazuli talismans, which were fashioned in the form of eyes, to sooth sore eyes. Traditionally, this is a very respected gemstone among Buddhists as they hold it as one of the seven precious things. The water in which a piece of Lapis Lazuli was dipped, was used by ancient Chinese to cure fever and inflamed eyes. 

Known as “The Wisdom Keeper,” Lapis Lazuli is the ideal stone for setting intentions that involve truth, awareness and intuition. 
It will help expand your mind by revealing the truth about your authentic self. 
Lapis Lazuli releases stress, bringing deep peace, harmony and inner self-knowledge.
The Lapis Lazuli crystal meaning is associated with the third eye chakra, the energy center that processes the essence of your inner spirit. 
Lazuli boosts the immune system, purifies blood, lowers blood pressure, cooling and soothing areas of inflammation.

Lapis lazuli is the birthstone for December along with Tanzanite, Turquoise and Zircon.
Lapis lazuli is the gem of 7th and 9th anniversary.