Lapis lazuli meaning and properties
Lapis lazuli is the stone of the right word and a clear mind in modern crystal practice: a night blue flecked with gold.
- Speech
- Clarity
- Depth
Lapis lazuli at a glance
For you, a deep blue to slip into your day when you need to weigh your words and keep a clear head before a deadline.
What right word would you like to find before your next important exchange?
Water: porous stone: water seeps in; a barely damp cloth, never soaking.
- Color
- blue
- Associated intentions
- communication, focus
- Birthstone
- December (1912 list)
- Type
- rock
What it evokes
Recent crystal books link it to expression and sustained attention: it is said to be chosen before an important conversation, or to keep a fixed point before the eyes when attention scatters.
This reading rests on a very long esteem. In Mesopotamia as in Egypt, according to Kunz, lapis lazuli was highly prized, and it was used for amulets and figurines. Its night blue, dotted with golden points of pyrite, fed the image of a starry sky.
Today it is used as a visual anchor: a dense hue, close to that of evening, that leaves time to think before answering.
The traditions
- Mesopotamia and Egypt
Kunz points out that in Babylon as in Egypt lapis lazuli was highly esteemed: a hymn to the moon god Sin compares him to the stone to express his brilliance, under its Assyrian name uknu. In Egypt, the high priest wore at his neck an image of Truth (Maat) cut from this material.
George F. Kunz, Curious Lore of Precious Stones, Lippincott, 1913 (Gutenberg 57978) - Rome, 1st century
Under the name sapphire, Pliny describes a blue stone that “shines with golden points,” the finest coming from Media, and none of whose kinds is transparent. Kunz recognizes lapis lazuli in it, and not today’s sapphire, which is a transparent corundum.
Pliny the Elder, Natural History, XXXVII, 39 (Littré translation); Kunz (1913) for the identification - The 1912 list
The American list of 1912 makes it the alternative stone for December, alongside turquoise. Kunz also cites it among the national stones of Bolivia, Chile, and Bukhara.
Kunz (1913), table of birthstones in its American 1912 version
A gestureWear it as a pendant near the throat, as beads on the wrist, or set it on a desk as a visual anchor point.
No stone has a proven effect on health: if you have a health concern, see a health professional.
Its profile
- Type
- Rock: blue lazurite, white calcite, golden pyrite
- Family
- Rock
- Composition
- rock (lazurite: Na6Ca2Al6Si6O24(SO4,S,Cl,OH)2)
- Mohs hardness
- 5–5.5 out of 10
- Colors
- blue
- Origins
- Afghanistan (Sar-e-Sang, Badakhshan), Russia (Lake Baikal), Tajikistan (Pamir), Chile
- Common treatments
- teinture ; wax or resin
- Common imitations
- sodalite ; dyed jasper (“Swiss lapis”) ; Gilson imitation
Caring for it without damaging it
- WaterAvoidPorous stone: water seeps in; a barely damp cloth, never soaking.
- SaltNoSalt water attacks it or lodges in it, and the grains can scratch its polish.
- SunYesNo known fading in daylight.
- HeatAvoidA sudden change in temperature can crack it: no direct heat source.
- Scratches and knocksResistantMohs hardness 5–5.5: it resists everyday scratches, but not sharp knocks.
Cleansing and charging without damage
Cleansing a crystal: the reported methods
Charging a crystal: moon, flower of life
Nuances and sources
Modern lists link it to Sagittarius or Aquarius, and place it at the throat or third eye chakra: these correspondences date from the 20th century. The “sapphire” of the Bible probably designates lapis lazuli, according to Kunz.
- Handbook of Mineralogy, Mineral Data Publishing (2001–2005), species record · read October 15, 2026
- George F. Kunz, The Curious Lore of Precious Stones, Lippincott, 1913 (public domain, Project Gutenberg no. 57978) · read October 15, 2026
- Pliny the Elder, Histoire naturelle, book XXXVII, French trans. É. Littré (1848–1850, public domain) · read October 15, 2026
Lapis lazuli: your questions
How can you tell a real lapis lazuli?
A real lapis mixes deep blue, white patches of calcite, and golden flecks of pyrite that shine like metal. A blue that is too uniform, with perfectly spread yellow dots, suggests the glass imitation known as Gilson. “Swiss lapis” is a dyed jasper. If in doubt, ask the seller for the exact name of the stone.
Does lapis lazuli tolerate water?
Better to avoid it: it is a porous rock that water and salt can dull, especially if it is dyed or waxed. A soft, slightly damp cloth is enough to wipe it, then dry it right away. Take it off before the shower, the pool, or the sea, and store it away from harder stones, which can scratch it.
Lapis lazuli or sodalite: what is the difference?
Lapis lazuli is a rock made of several minerals, including lazurite, with golden flecks of pyrite. Sodalite is a single mineral, more blue-violet, veined with white and without pyrite. It is a little harder, and it is sometimes sold as lapis lazuli: it is one of its most common imitations.
Related crystals
Lapis lazuli on this site
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