14 STRANDS OF LAPIS

This is amazing Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan. The beads are tiny cut tubes which have been given a matt finsh. There is no question in your mind when you see it, to it's genuine quality and natural stone. It has a Sterling Cone fastener. 21" long.

$1,350.00

The best Lapis Lazuli in the world comes from Afghanistan, and with so many years of war taking place in that country, it’s no wonder that Lapis is so hard to come by these days. During the war in the 70′s, I was told that men went up to the mountains with their mules hauling saddlebags of water. In the night they poured the water in the lapis bearing rocks fissures and cracks and as the temperatures plumented in the nightime, the water froze and pried open the rock. The chunks replaced the water in the saddlebags and most of the lapis was smuggled out of the country. Even inert materials such as gemstones and their availability are affcted by wars!.