12.98 Ct.Tw.Total Carat Weight Lapis Pair from Afghanistan

These two cushion shaped lapis stones arrive to you as a matched pair, each telling its own precise story of weight and scale, yet sharing one unmistakable color voice. The first stone weighs 6.13 carats, and the second weighs 6.85 carats. Their proportions read 18.16 by 15.97 by 1.86 millimeters, and 18.36 by 16.19 by 2.08 millimeters respectively, each cut in a tablet style that lays a calm flat face to catch the eye. The color intensity is vivid, the polish excellent, and the overall character is opaque in that classic lapis way that celebrates solid, saturated blue rather than transparent sparkle. There has been no enhancement performed on these stones, the tones and textures are wholly natural. Their origin is Afghanistan, a land long celebrated for producing the purest, deepest lapis, and each facet of finish on these cushions reflects the care taken from rough to gem. The Natural Gemstone Company presents these stones as ready companions for a thoughtful jeweler, a collector seeking matched pairs, or a designer who values provenance and authenticity.

Long before these cushions reached the bench, they began their journey within the ancient folds of Afghan mountains, where lapis lazuli has been harvested for millennia. Generations of miners in regions such as the famed Sar e Sang veins learned to read the rock, following seams of blue that were formed by geologic pressure and time. In that landscape, lapis was prized by civilizations for its intensity, carried along trade routes and adorning the crowns and amulets of rulers. The same deep ultramarine that once became pigment for master painters and inlaid panels in distant courts now lives within these two matched stones. Knowing that the material was sourced from Afghanistan connects the gem to a lineage of craft and culture, a continuity that is felt when the surface is stroked with a jeweler s eye, when a designer selects the stone for a commission, and when the finished piece is held against the skin. This historical resonance is part of why collectors and creators alike revere natural lapis from this region.

The transformation from rough blue rock to these elegant tablets required a patient hand and a practiced eye. Cutting lapis to a tablet cushion shape asks the lapidary to respect the stone s body, to trim away the matrix and leave a broad, gently rounded face that showcases the color field. The cutter aimed to preserve as much vivid blue as possible while producing two pieces that balance each other in tone and overall visual weight. The excellent polish highlights the stone s texture and reveals any natural accretions such as subtle pyrite specks, which can appear as tiny gold like flecks and lend a discreet celestial shimmer against the blue ground. Matching a pair like this is an art, involving selection for color harmony, symmetry of outline, and compatibility of thickness so that the two stones read as a pair once set. Because no enhancement has been applied, the lapis retains its original surface chemistry and visual depth, a fact that will matter to purists and to anyone who values natural gemology.

When considering how to bring these cushions into a finished form, their dimensions and tablet profile suggest several elegant uses. Their broad faces make them ideal for a pair of statement earrings, where each stone will sit comfortably and display its deep color against the complexion. They can be used as the paired centers of cufflinks, where the low profile tablet cut will protect the stone while allowing the vivid blue to be admired with a single glance. A designer could also set them as twin inlays on a bracelet, or on a pendant with a companion metal halo to accentuate the blue with warm gold or cool silver. The slight difference in carat weight and thickness is a natural outcome of working with rough material, but the near identical dimensions and matched polish ensure that when set they will appear harmonious. For reference, the exact sizes 18.16 by 15.97 by 1.86 millimeters and 18.36 by 16.19 by 2.08 millimeters provide a firm basis for setting plans, and the carat weights 6.13 and 6.85 inform how they will feel in hand or on the ear.

At The Natural Gemstone Company we believe that a gem s story matters as much as its color, and these lapis cushions are offered with that spirit in mind. We can assist with suggestions for mounting, and we can provide condition notes and high resolution images to help visualize the stones in your intended design. Care is simple, treating lapis as an opaque, relatively soft material, avoiding harsh chemicals and ultrasonic cleaning, and relying on gentle cloth wiping and warm soapy water for maintenance. Because these stones are unenhanced, they will respond naturally to light and wear, developing a gentle, lived in character rather than a treated perfection. If you would like to discuss custom settings, matching with additional lapis or complementary gems, or to arrange shipping and certification, please reach out to our team, who will be happy to guide you through the options and to share provenance details for these Afghan stones. These cushions are more than objects, they are pieces of history, refined by hand into forms that invite connection, and they are available now through The Natural Gemstone Company.