Lapis lazuli is a gemstone of the kind that might have come straight out of the Arabian Nights: a deep blue with golden inclusions of pyrites which shimmer like little stars.
| Color | Blue, mottled with white calcite and brassy pyrite |
| Mohs scale hardness | 5.0 - 5.5 |
| Specific gravity | 2.70 - 2.90 |
| Refractive index | 1.500 - 1.550 |