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

From the high plateaus and weathered mountains of Afghanistan comes a color that has inspired artists and emperors for millennia, a deep, celestial blue that seems to hold the sky itself. These two beautiful, opaque lapiss began their story far from any workshop, in the cool stone veins that have been worked for centuries. Generations of miners, often working by hand and guided by traditional knowledge of the land, carefully extracted rough material that would one day reveal this intense blue. The region has a history as old as trade itself, a place where lapis was prized for its pigment and its symbolism, sent along caravans and across seas to be ground into ultramarine paint and to be set as sacred ornament. This pair of lapiss bears the imprint of that long history in their color and character, a link between the raw, ancient earth and the modern collector who appreciates authenticity and story.

The transition from rough rock to refined gem is where nature meets human skill, and these stones show that meeting at its best. Each piece weighs 2.31 carats and 2.32 carats respectively, and both are fashioned into a pleasing cushion shape that balances soft curves with a crisp silhouette. Their dimensions are 10.12 by 8.13 by 2.70 mm and 10.08 by 8.06 by 2.75 mm, proportions chosen to showcase the broad planes of rich blue while maintaining a comfortable scale for many jewelry designs. The tablet cut emphasizes the stone s opulent surface, offering broad, flat faces that catch light across the field of pigment. Their intense color intensity is unmistakable, a saturated, velvety blue that reads as luxurious and timeless. The excellent polish brings a tactile smoothness and a luminous sheen, allowing the natural pyrite inclusions and the subtle texturing of the lapiss to glint and play without overwhelming the primary color. These are untreated, with no enhancement, which preserves their geological integrity and ensures that what you see is the natural result of earth and time.

At The Natural Gemstone Company we take pride in shepherding such material from its origin to your hands, and we imagine the many lives these stones could lead. Set as a pair of elegant stud earrings, they will sit close to the face, drawing attention with their deep blue glow. Mounted as companion stones in a pendant and ring ensemble, they will echo one another, their slight differences in weight and dimension telling a quiet story of individuality within a matched set. A skilled jeweler will appreciate their tablet cut and cushion silhouette, using bezels that highlight the clean outlines, or soft prongs that allow the blue to breathe. Because they are opaque and richly colored, these lapiss excel in designs where surface and color matter more than internal transparency. The presence of natural flecks of pyrite, visible under certain lights, adds a starry punctuation to the blue, a reminder of the geological processes that introduced metallic minerals into the stone as it formed over eons. With these characteristics, the pair can be the foundation for both contemporary and historically inspired settings, inviting designers to play with texture, metal tone, and proportion.

Owning a stone like this is more than a purchase, it is an adoption of a continuing story, and The Natural Gemstone Company commits to honoring that lineage. We source material responsibly, and we document origin because provenance matters in understanding and respecting the cultural and natural history of gemstones. These Afghan lapiss connect you not only to color and form, but to the hands and traditions that first recognized their beauty. To care for them, avoid harsh chemicals and prolonged exposure to extreme heat, clean gently with a soft cloth and mild soapy water, and store separately to protect their surface polish. Their opaque nature means they are resilient to everyday wear when set thoughtfully, but mindful handling will preserve their polish and the integrity of their tablet cut. When you choose this pair, you choose a piece of the earth that has been shaped by time and skilled craft, a pair that will carry a story from Afghanistan to your collection, from natural origin to crafted keepsake, a story that The Natural Gemstone Company is honored to share with you.