In the world of gemstones, few hold the pedigree of lapis lazuli. Known around the globe for its vivid, exquisite blue coloring, lapis lazuli has been treasured by humans for more than 8,000 years. The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome treasured it as much as other blue gems like sapphire and turquoise.
Referenced numerous times in the Epic...read more
In the world of gemstones, few hold the pedigree of lapis lazuli. Known around the globe for its vivid, exquisite blue coloring, lapis lazuli has been treasured by humans for more than 8,000 years. The ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome treasured it as much as other blue gems like sapphire and turquoise.
Referenced numerous times in the Epic of Gilgamesh – the Mesopotamian poem believed to be the earliest surviving work of great literature – lapis lazuli was also a favorite of ancient Egypt, where it was utilized for amulets and ornaments like scarabs. Powdered lapis was even used in Cleopatra’s eyeshadow.
In the Middle Ages it was ground into ultramarine, the finest and most expensive of blue pigment, then employed by some the most important painters of the Renaissance for their masterworks.
In celebration of this timeless stone that’s been favored by man since the dawn of civilization, we only thought it fitting to set lapis in tungsten, the strongest metal on earth. Like the enduring appeal of lapis lazuli, this ring is built to last.
