Lapis Lazuli, or just "lapis" for short, is a stone that was admired for its beauty even in ancient times. Funerary masks in ancient Egypt, such as the famous one for the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, used lapis and gold. Lapis lazuli was used to make the inlaid blue stripes that, along with the gold stripes, simulated the nemes (headcloth) that the pharaohs wore.
The primary component of lapis is lazurite, which is so vividly blue that it is usually described as ultramarine ("bluer than the sea") in color. Among the deep blue lazurite, one often sees gold pyrite in quality lapis, and some view the presence of pyrite as confirmation that the stone is, indeed, lapis. Personally, I think the gold flecks also add to the beauty of the stone.
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