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The best lapis lazuli still comes from the Sar-e-Sang mines in Afghanistan, where the vivid blue rock was traded to Egypt and Sumer (Iraq) in ancient times, and later throughout the East and Europe. Class: semiprecious Origin of Name: from the Persian lazhward (blue) Color: dark blue to greenish-blue to purple-blue Chemical Composition: aggregate of several minerals, including hauyne (which lends the stone its color), sodalite, nosean, and lazurite (a combination of hauyne and sodalite) Crystal System: the four minerals above belong to the cubic system Hardness: 5.5 Specific Gravity: 2.7-2.9 Geographic Origins: Afghanistan, Siberia, Chile Next Photo: ©International Colored Gemstone Association/Bart Curren The Science Behind the Sparkle | Diamonds in the Sky A Primer of Gemstones | See Inside a Diamond Resources | Transcript | Site Map | Diamond Deception Home Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 |