Lapis Lazuli

Taking its name from the Persian words for “blue stone”, lapis lazuli has only been called so since the Middle Ages, although it is one of the oldest stones used by man.
During ancient Egypt, Lapis Lazuli symbolized divine power and life force. Its deep blue color speckled with gold was associated with immortality and infinity. The sarcophagi of the pharaohs were decorated with Lapis Lazuli, and amulets shaped in this stone were placed to protect them, in the shape of a beetle or the eye of Horus.
Renaissance painters also used it in powder mixed with oil to create the color “outremer” (navy blue). This earned the Lapis Lazuli to be named “blue gold” by Leonardo da Vinci.