Top Quality Lapis Lazuli. Intense Ultramarine Blue. Oval Beads 10mm x 14mm. 15.5 Inch Strand. Beautiful lapis lazuli beads suitable for stunning necklaces, earrings and bracelets. Genuine semi-precious lapiz lazuli beads. Natural color. Ultramarine blue with some marbling and pyrite flecks. Looks fantastic with gold beads and findings. See also our oval lapis beads. Measurements: 10mm wide, 14mm long, 4mm thick. Hole is under 1mm wide. Quantity: Approximately 28 Beads About Lapis Lazuli: The name means blue rock. Small brassy gold crystals of pyrite are always present in lapis. Also usually present is marble, which produces white streaks in the stone. First mined 6000 years ago, this opaque, deep blue gemstone looks back at a long history. It was one of the first stones ever to be used and worn for jewellery. Thousands of years ago the people in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome cherished deep blue Lapis lazuli. In some cultures Lapis lazuli was also worshipped as a holy stone. Especially in Asian countries, it was considered as a gemstone with magical powers. Lapis Lazuli was introduced to Europe by Alexander the Great. Here the color of the stone was called ultramarine , meaning from beyond the seas . The value of this colour for the world of art was enormous: in fact the ultramarine blue paint used by the Grand Old Masters was nothing else but pulverised Lapis lazuli, added to a mixture of binding agents, to make a bright blue paint, suitable for watercolours, tempera and oil paintings. All over the world, Lapis lazuli is considered a stone of truth and friendship. The blue stone is reputed to bring about harmony in relationships and to help its wearer to be an authentic individual who may openly state his or her opinion.