Lapis Lazuli
The Stone of Foundations
Known as “sapphires” by the ancients,
the stone occurs in only a few major deposits around the world.
The Foundation of His Word - It is likely that God etched the law
and the commands on this stone. It was the pavement under God’s feet.
"Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went
up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement
made of lapis lazuli, clear as the sky itself. The Lord said to Moses,
“Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the
tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their
instruction.” (Exodus 24:9,10,12)
The Foundation of His Throne -This stone is used in the throne of
God.
"Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they
stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what
looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a
figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist
up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there
down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the
appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance
around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the
Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one
speaking. " (Ezekiel 1:25-28)
The Foundation of Decision - This stone was part of Aaron’s
breastpiece of decision and judgment
" “Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of a skilled
craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and
scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. It is to be square—a span long
and a span wide—and folded double. Then mount four rows of precious stones
on it. In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz and a beryl; in the
second row a turquoise, a lapis lazuli and an emerald; in the third row a
jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; in the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx
and a jasper. Mount them in gold filigree settings. There are to be twelve
stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved
like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes." (Exodus 28:15-21)
The Foundation of His Dwelling – His Holy City - It will be used to
rebuild Jerusalem.
"“O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you
with stones of turquoise, your foundations with lapis lazuli." (Isaiah
54:11)
"The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of
precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second lapis lazuli,
the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald," (Revelation 21:19)
The Foundation of His Body - It describes our Beloved.
"His arms are rods of gold set with chrysolite. His body is like polished
ivory decorated with lapis lazuli." (Song of Solomon 5:14)
The Foundation of Wisdom - It comes at great cost. Job speaks of
finding lapis lazuli as part of God’s refining process to gain wisdom.
"“There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is
taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Man puts an end to
the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest
darkness. Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten
by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways. The earth, from
which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; lapis lazuli comes from
its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. No bird of prey knows
that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it. Proud beasts do not set
foot on it, and no lion prowls there. Man’s hand assaults the flinty rock
and lays bare the roots of the mountains. He tunnels through the rock; his
eyes see all its treasures. He searches the sources of the rivers and
brings hidden things to light." (Job 28:1-11)
Our Foundations
"“O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you
with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires. I will make
your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your
walls of precious stones." (Isaiah 54:11-12)
"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and
faithfulness go before you."
(Psalm 89:14)
"So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a
tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who
trusts will never be dismayed. I will make justice the measuring line and
righteousness the plumb line."
(Isaiah 28:16-17)
"The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with
justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord
is the key to this treasure."
(Isaiah 33:5-6)
"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder,
and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he
builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid,
which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold,
silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what
it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with
fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he
has built survives, he will receive his reward."
(1 Corinthians 3:10-14)
"Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this
inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who
confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”"
(2 Timothy 2:19)
"For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect
and builder is God."
(Hebrews 11:10)
Lapis lazuli
A precious gemstone
Lapis lazuli is a gemstone of the kind that might have come straight out
of the Middle East history: a deep blue with golden inclusions of pyrites
which shimmer like little stars. The are considered precious stones.
This opaque, deep blue gemstone has a grand past. It was among the first
gemstones to be worn as jewelry and worked on. At excavations in the
ancient centers of culture around the Mediterranean, archaeologists have
again and again found among the grave furnishings decorative chains and
figures made of lapis lazuli – clear indications that the deep blue stone
was already popular thousands of years ago. It is said that the legendary
city of Ur on the Euphrates plied a keen lapis lazuli trade as long ago as
the fourth millennium B.C., the material coming to the land of the two
great rivers from the famous deposits in Afghanistan. In other cultures,
lapis lazuli was regarded as a holy stone, particularly in the Middle
East.
The most expensive blue of all time
The euphonious name is composed from 'lapis', the Latin word for stone,
and 'azula', which comes from the Arabic and means blue. All right, so
it's a blue gemstone - but what an incredible blue! The worth of this
stone to the world of art is immeasurable, for the ultramarine of the Old
Masters is nothing other than genuine lapis lazuli. Ground up into a
powder and stirred up together with binding-agents, the marble-like
gemstone can be used to manufacture radiant blue watercolors, tempera or
oil-paints. Before the year 1834, when it became possible to produce this
color synthetically, the only ultramarine available was that valuable
substance made from genuine lapis lazuli that shines out at us from many
works of art today. Many pictures of the Madonna, for example, were
created using this paint. But in those days, ultramarine blue was not only
precious and so intense that its radiance outshone all other colors; it
was also very expensive. But unlike all other blue pigments, which tend to
pale in the light, it has lost none of its radiance to this very day.
Nowadays, the blue pigment obtained from lapis lazuli is mainly used in
restoration work and by collectors of historical paints.
The stone of friendship and truth
Lapis lazuli is regarded by many people around the world as the stone of
friendship and truth
When the cutter turns up his nose ...
Many a cutter 'turns up his nose' when cutting lapis lazuli, for as soon
as the stone comes into contact with the cutting-disc it gives off a
typical smell. An experienced cutter can even tell from the odor how
intense the color is. When polishing this stone, he must handle it gently
on account of its modest hardness and not subject it to much pressure. But
there is no need for the wearer to worry: a lapis lazuli that has grown
matt from having been worn too much can easily be repolished at any time.
Lapis lazuli is often sealed with colorless wax or synthetic resin. As
long as these substances are not mixed with any coloring agent, this
sealing process simply has the effect of improving the stone's wearing
qualities. Having said that, the stone should always be protected from
acidic substances, and it should not be exposed to too much sunlight.
As they did more than 5000 years ago, the best raw stones still come from
the steep mountains in the north-east of Afghanistan. The lumps of blue
rock, extracted from the inhospitable mountains by blasting, are brought
down into the valley in the summer months by mules. Nature also created
deposits in Russia, to the west of Lake Baikal, and in the Chilean Andes,
where the blue rock often has white or grey lime running through it. In
smaller amounts, lapis lazuli is also found in Italy, Mongolia, the USA
and Canada, Myanmar and Pakistan, but in really good qualities it is rare
all over. Finely distributed crystals of pyrites which shimmer in gold and
look like sequins will increase the value of the gemstone.
Lapis lazuli is an opaque rock that mainly consists of diopside and
lazurite. It came into being during the metamorphosis of lime to marble.
Uncut, lapis lazuli is matt and of a deep, dark blue color, often with
golden inclusions and whitish marble veins. The small inclusions with
their golden shimmer, which give the stone the magic of a starry sky, are
not of gold as people used to think, but of pyrites. Their cause is iron.
The blue color comes from the sulphur content of the lazurite and may
range from pure ultramarine to a lighter blue. At between 5 and 6 on the
Mohs scale, this stone is among the less hard gemstones.
--Ingrid Hansen