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Natural inorganic gem materials · Mineral species · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Lazurite
The framework silicate mineral species lazurite, the main blue component of the rock lapis lazuli, but not the same thing as the rock itself. This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Lazurite forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify LazuriteHow far lab testing can go and whether a synthetic exists
- Caring for and wearing LazuriteCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them; durability indicators and wearing advice
- Mohs hardness of LazuriteEach value with its source and check date
- Lazurite in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Which of GIA, FTC, CIBJO and Gem-A have a name for it on record, and do those agree?
- Name origin and history of LazuriteWhere the name comes from; how people have used it, with museum objects
- Listing and disclosing LazuriteThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define LazuriteWhich clause defines it, each cross-checked
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
Lazurite is a cubic (rarely monoclinic or triclinic) framework silicate species of the sodalite group, with ideal composition Na6Ca2Al6Si6O24[(SO4),S,Cl,(OH)]2. It is a contact metamorphic mineral in limestones, forming in contact-metamorphosed and commonly later metasomatised (sulfur-introduced) settings, associated with calcite, pyrite, diopside, forsterite and haüyne.
Scope: Applies to the genesis and occurrence of the natural mineral lazurite as a sodalite-group silicate mineral species; does not apply to the rock lapis lazuli as a whole, which has a separate record.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy · G&G Spring 2000
Where it forms
Contact-metamorphosed limestones (commonly with later metasomatic introduction of sulfur)
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Association: calcite, pyrite, diopside, humite, forsterite, haüyne, muscovite
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
How it forms, step by step
A limestone (or carbonate rock) is emplaced.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Magmatic intrusion causes contact metamorphism.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Later sulfur-bearing fluids metasomatise the rock, introducing the sulfur needed to form lazurite.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Lazurite crystallises, associated with calcite, pyrite, diopside, forsterite and other minerals.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Link to appearance
Lazurite is deep blue, azure, violet-blue or greenish blue (blue in thin section), with a bright blue streak; vitreous lustre, isotropic (anomalously anisotropic), hardness 5-5.5. Its deep blue relates to its sulfur-bearing sodalite-group framework-silicate composition; the name is from the Persian lazhward (blue), for its colour resemblance to azurite. The source gives no specific colour mechanism.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Timescale
The source states no absolute geological timescale for lazurite formation.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Supporting findings
Lazurite is a contact metamorphic mineral in limestones.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes lazurite's metamorphic origin.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Lazurite is associated with calcite, pyrite, diopside, humite, forsterite, haüyne and muscovite.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes the association in a contact-metamorphic setting.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Recorded localities
Authoritative sources list the localities below; the list is not exhaustive.
Asia
- Sar-e-Sang, Badakhshan, AfghanistanSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
- Slyudyanka and Bystraya river basins, near Lake Baikal, Siberia, RussiaSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
- Lyadzhuar-Darinsk, Pamir Mountains, TajikistanSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
- Thabapin, near Mogok, MyanmarSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Europe
- Monte Somma, Campania, ItalySpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
- Alban Hills, Lazio, ItalySpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
North America
- Ontario Peak and Cascade Canyon, San Bernardino County, California, United StatesSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
- North Italian Mountain, Gunnison County, Colorado, United StatesSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
- about 15 km north of Kimmirut (Lake Harbour), Baffin Island, Nunavut, CanadaSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
South America
- Cazadero River, near Ovalle, ChileSpecimen/occurrence locality listed by the Handbook of Mineralogy; not a commercial gem source
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
These are localities recorded by authoritative sources, not an origin finding for any individual piece. The CIBJO Gemstone Book (2022, §4.2.3) says a place of origin names where a gem was mined or harvested, is a matter of opinion, does not imply a level of quality, and that cutting, processing or exporting centres must not be used to imply origin. See how far testing can go on this page, the origin determination guide and the overview of recorded localities.
Where the name comes from
The name lazurite is for its colour resemblance to azurite, which in turn is named from the Persian lazhward, for blue.
Evidence grade BScope: The etymology explains the origin of a name only; it does not attest composition, locality, naturalness or treatment.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Human use and museum objects
Lapis lazuli was made into beads at least by the Sumerian period of ca. 2600–2500 BCE, e.g. Mesopotamian gold and lapis-lazuli necklaces (The Met, 33.35.47, 33.35.48); Egyptian, Cypriot and Roman collections further document lapis beads, amulets and intaglios (The Met, 26.8.60, 74.51.3247, 74.51.4445, 41.160.642).
Evidence grade AScope: States only the use of lapis lazuli in beads and inlays as reflected by museum objects; no deposit or modern-sample determination.
Sources The Met 33.35.48
As a mineral, lapis lazuli is first documented in museum holdings as a bead and inlay material in Sumerian Mesopotamia: gold and lapis-lazuli necklaces of ca. 2600–2500 BCE (The Met, 33.35.47, 33.35.48). Later pieces include a New Kingdom Egyptian girdle with gold and lapis beads from Thebes (The Met, 26.8.60, ca. 1479–1425 BCE), a Cypriot gold and lapis-lazuli boat-shaped earring (The Met, 74.51.3247, 6th–5th century BCE), Egyptian heart and Djed amulets (The Met, 74.51.4445, 74.51.4452, 664–334 BCE), and Roman lapis-lazuli intaglios (The Met, 41.160.642, 2nd century CE).
Sources The Met 33.35.48
Scope: Museum objects attest only to the existence and date of the individual documented pieces; they do not evidence widespread ancient use of the material, nor the origin, naturalness or treatment of any modern specimen. Cultural attribution follows the museum's record and is not extrapolated.
Objects cited
- The Met 33.35.48Gold, lapis lazuli
- The Met 33.35.47Gold, lapis lazuli
- The Met 26.8.60Gold, lapis lazuli
- The Met 74.51.3247Gold, Lapis lazuli
- The Met 74.51.4445Lapis lazuli
- The Met 41.160.642Lapis lazuli
Other research findings
Lazurite is a sodalite-group framework silicate species with ideal composition Na6Ca2Al6Si6O24[(SO4),S,Cl,(OH)]2, crystallising in the cubic system.
Evidence grade BScope: Species-level composition, group membership and crystal system.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Lazurite is a mineral species, while lapis lazuli is a rock in which lazurite is accompanied by varying proportions of further minerals, calcite and pyrite among them. A specimen consisting of nothing but lazurite is nonetheless named lapis lazuli, not lazurite; the two are distinct entities, so general statements about the rock should not be presented as though they were peculiar to the mineral lazurite.
Evidence grade BScope: Bounds the mineral species lazurite against the rock lapis lazuli; rock properties are not attributed to the mineral.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy · G&G Spring 2000
Lazurite is deep blue, azure, violet-blue or greenish blue, with a bright blue streak, vitreous lustre and hardness 5-5.5; its name is from the Persian lazhward, for its colour resemblance to azurite.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes colour, lustre and naming only; no colour mechanism.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- The source is a mineralogical data sheet and gives no absolute geological timescale for lazurite formation.
- The cited mineral source describes only the mineral species lazurite; a second, comparison source on lapis lazuli is used solely to distinguish the rock lapis lazuli from the mineral lazurite, and is not used to describe lazurite's own properties.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Lazurite
IMA Mineral List 2026-07 “Lazurite” · CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 §7.2.1.131 “Lazurite”
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
The Chinese standard lists Lazurite under a different Chinese name from its common trade name (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.2); use "Lazurite" for listings.
Evidence
- CIBJO · 7.2.1.131
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Lazurite" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
Care and wear
Normal care for every gemstone (CIBJO Gemstone Book §6.1), in brief:
- Handle it gently.
- Store pieces apart when not worn, so they cannot scratch each other.
- Clean with warm soapy water and a soft brush.
- Use ultrasonic cleaners only with caution.
The §6.1 wording and the full list of §6.2 special-care letters cited on this page are on the general gem care page.
Care
Lazurite — care (cleaning): Some stones are susceptible to damage from ultrasonic cleaning. Do not expose them to ultrasonic cleaning.
CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
CIBJO Gemstone Book §6.2:special-care code j
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-09-25
- Source
- CIBJO Blue Book — Official Gemstone Book (Coloured Stone Commission 2022) (CIBJO): §8 Annex C, Lazurite, p.60; §6.2 j (locator checked 2026-09-25)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-25
Lazurite — care (wear): cleaves or fractures easily or is brittle (e.g. rubbed facet edges); wear with care.
CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
CIBJO Gemstone Book §6.2:special-care code b
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-09-25
- Source
- CIBJO Blue Book — Official Gemstone Book (Coloured Stone Commission 2022) (CIBJO): §8 Annex C, Lazurite, p.60; §6.2 b (locator checked 2026-09-25)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-25
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Common care questions and matching entries
For care of Lazurite, the cleaning conclusion recorded in the CIBJO Blue Book — Official Gemstone Book (Coloured Stone Commission 2022) is that it must not be cleaned ultrasonically, irrespective of treatment status; the wearing conclusion recorded in the same CIBJO Blue Book — Official Gemstone Book (Coloured Stone Commission 2022) is that Lazurite cleaves or fractures easily and should be worn with care, likewise irrespective of treatment status. The cleaning conclusion answers whether it can be cleaned ultrasonically, and the wearing conclusion addresses wearing limits such as knocks and settings.
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| Question | Matching entries |
|---|---|
| Can it go in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner? | care (cleaning) |
| Wearing limits (knocks, settings) | cleaves or fractures easily or is brittle (e.g. rubbed facet edges); wear with care |
Durability and wearing
Numbers in curly braces, such as {111}, are crystallographic face symbols (Miller indices): each marks a set of crystal faces or cleavage planes. They are reproduced as written in the cited source.
Mohs hardness
5–6 (GIA: lapis lazuli varies with composition); lazurite mineral 5–5.5 (Handbook of Mineralogy)
Toughness
Fair (GIA's rating for lapis lazuli)
Cleavage
Lazurite (the mineral): imperfect on {110}
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Standard and listing namesThe Chinese formal name for Lazurite is that of lapis lazuli (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.2), the common market name is lapis lazuli mineral, and the suggested listing name is lapis lazuli mineral (Lazurite). Institution usageOn authority wording, CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 records Lazurite; the FTC text on file has no wording for this name, which has been checked; GIA and Gem-A are unchecked; the English name shown for bodies without a recorded wording comes from the entry itself and does not represent their position. Japanese namesFor the formal name of Japan's GSJ, its wording for this name is not yet verified by this site, and the entry has its own Japanese name. Trade and mineralogical namesThe mineralogical name is Lazurite, an IMA mineral species and a tectosilicate. Names in four languagesFour-language names are given in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Lazurite) and Japanese.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- ラズライト／ラピスラズリ鉱物 (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Chinese formal name
- 青金石 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.2)
- Mineralogical name
- Lazurite (IMA mineral species, tectosilicate)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 青金石矿物
- 繁體中文
- 青金石礦物
- English
- Lazurite
- 日本語
- ラズライト／ラピスラズリ鉱物
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Other silicate minerals
- Identity tier
- Mineral species
- Mineral chemical class
- Silicates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
What it is and how it's identified
The material facts for Lazurite are registered for the mineral species Lazurite and cover naming status, chemical composition, phase, transparency and body colour. The IMA naming status of Lazurite is G, that is, grandfathered: discovered before the IMA was founded and generally regarded as a valid mineral species. The chemical composition is registered from GB/T 16553—2017 as lazurite: (NaCa)8(AlSiO4)6(SO4,Cl,S)2; the phase is the mineral lazurite. Transparency is opaque; in the untreated state, the body colour is blue. This site notes that in the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024, the colour descriptions for haüyne, Maxixe beryl, star sapphire and other entries also involve blue or bluish colours.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Definition
Lazurite — nomenclature status: IMA status G: grandfathered (described before the IMA existed, and generally regarded as a valid species).
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Lazurite — composition (chemistry): lazurite: (NaCa)8(AlSiO4)6(SO4,Cl,S)2.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.14 Chemical composition · Lazurite (locator checked 2026-09-28)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Lazurite — composition (phase): lazurite
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Optical
Lazurite — transparency: opaque.
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Lazurite — body colour: Blue.
CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Qualification
In chapter 7 of the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book, the colour descriptions of Haüyne, Maxixe Beryl, Star Sapphire and other entries also name blue or a bluish colour.
- General note
- colour alone is not identity
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Testing and market
What can be confirmed on testing and market for Lazurite is that no synthetic Lazurite is available on the market. The conclusion comes from the Lazurite source row in the CIBJO Blue Book, The Gemstone Book (2022), and applies to any treatment state, both treated and untreated.
How far testing can go
Lazurite — synthetic counterpart on the market: No synthetic counterpart of this material is commercially available
CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Clause-level definitions
Lazurite has a clause-level definition in the CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 under the entry Lazurite: blue, opaque, the main component of the rock lapis lazuli; the cross-check result is a direct CIBJO definition, and no identically named English entry was found in the GB/T annex. The IMA Mineral List entry is also named Lazurite, with the chemical formula as its definition and marked Rd 2021 s.p., cross-checked against the RRUFF/IMA master mineral list (public domain data).
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| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lazurite | 7.2.1.131 | Blue, opaque; main component of lapis lazuli | Defined directly by CIBJO; no identically named English entry was found in this edition of the GB/T annex. |
| Lazurite | IMA Mineral List entry | Lazurite Na7Ca(Al6Si6O24)(SO4)(S3)-·H2O Rd 2021 s.p. | Cross-checked against the RRUFF/IMA master mineral list (public domain data). |
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. Gemmological Laboratories Book (Blue Book), Gemmological Commission 2024-1.
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. The Gemstone Book (Blue Book), 2022.
- SAMR / SAC (China). GB/T 16552—2017 Gems — Nomenclature.
- RRUFF Project, in partnership with the IMA – International Mineralogical Association. IMA Mineral List.
- Geological Survey of Japan, AIST (Japan). Museum mineral specimens, browse by classification.
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
Related-entry tree for Lazurite on this site: 2 entries listed by this site's parent-entry links; synthetic, treated and similar entries carry their recorded state after the name; this page (Lazurite) is marked.
- Lazurite
Sub-entries (1)
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| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Other silicate minerals | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Lazurite entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original; clause-level definitions also carry a cross-check result. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.