Lapis lazuli jewelry & turquoise jewelry have two very ancient semiprecious gems that have been in use in jewellery since 5000 BC-being popularly traded by Afghans and Persians into Europe for the past 7,000 or more years!

Lapis lazuli, jewelry, is a rare semiprecious gem first found in Afghanistan where the best specimens come from-of the best quality have an even blue color, with the least pyrite inclusions and no white calcite lines. It is opaque and has no veins, fractures, or streaks marring its surface nor the greasy sheen of lesser quality pieces. The essential test, however, in knowing the real lapis lazuli from the fake is that it is the only semiprecious stone that emits a foul smell when cut. Cabochon cut is the most in demand form for lapis lazulis.

Turquoise jewelry with the so-called "spiderweb matrix" are most valued, especially when unblemished and vein-free. Uniformly coloured stone of superior workmanship is highly prized-particularly those superbly polished and shaped. Lesser quality stones are treated with wax or oil to enhance sheen and colour. Untreated ones, of course, demand a higher price. Like other opaque gem stones, turquoise is commonly priced according to its size in millimeters rather than its weight.

Naturally fragile and sensitive to solvents, turquoise and lapiz lazuli like all minerals alter in colour or sheen when exposed to skin oils, perfume, or commercial cleaning fluids. Longer exposures to direct sunlight may discolour and dehydrate blue stones so care should be taken when using your lapiz lazuli jewelry or turquoise jewelry outside, more so when wearing cosmetics or when going to the beach or engaging in sun-drenched activities.

Remember to gently clean your turquoise jewellery with a soft cloth and your lapiz lazuli jewellery with mild soap and water and then dried off with soft cloth to keep residues from building up. Always store your gem stones in individual containers to keep these porous stones from being scratched by harder, more precious stones. A word of caution though, airtight jewellery cases may have some adverse effects on your prized turquoise jewelry.