Na₃Ca(Al₃Si₃O₁₂)S
Lapis lazuli
Sar-e-Sang in Afghanistan has fed this blue rock for millennia, pyrite stars included.
- Formula
- Na₃Ca(Al₃Si₃O₁₂)S
- Mohs hardness
- 5–5.5
- Crystal system
- cubic
- Colour
- blue
- Element
- water
- Chakra (tradition)
- throat
- Zodiac
- Sagittarius, Taurus, Capricorn
- Month
- —
- Where the earth keeps it
- Afghanistan, Chile, Russia
What it actually is
Lapis lazuli is Na₃Ca(Al₃Si₃O₁₂)S before it is a story. The lattice is cubic, Mohs 5–5.5, and the eye meets blue.
The better pieces still come out of the ground in Afghanistan, Chile, Russia. Sar-e-Sang in Afghanistan has fed this blue rock for millennia, pyrite stars included.
What the old tradition whispers
The parlour tradition ties Lapis lazuli to water and to the throat centre. The old site stood it near: Sagittarius, Taurus, Capricorn.
How not to turn it to ash
Softer than a steel knife. No ultrasonic bath, no acid, no sudden heat. Dust wants a dry cloth.
