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Genuine, Natural, High Quality Antique Russian Crafted/Afghani Produced Semi-Precious Blue Lapis Lazuli Gemstones on 14kt Gold Fill French Hooks.

Eight handcrafted antique lapis lazuli 4mm round gemstones, approximately two and one-half carats total gemstone weight. Mounted onto high quality 14kt gold fill french hooks.

Gorgeous, richly colored natural dark blue lapis lazuli semi-precious gemstones from the 7,000 year old mines at Badakhshan in Afghanistan, source of lapis lazuli for the ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Phoenicians, and the rest of the ancient world. These gemstones were hand shaped, hand polished, and hand drilled in early 20th century India, most likely in Bombay, one of the principal gemstone finishing centers in the world. Originally produced for use in indigenous jewelry, where brightly colored necklaces and bracelets are extremely popular, they ended up collecting dust in a warehouse. The diminutive gemstones are exquisitely colored a mottled dark blue, considerably lighter than inky "midnight blue" African or Australian sapphires, but well past the medium blue of sapphires from Ceylon and Burma. It is truly a very rich and regal blue, bringing to mind all of the rich pageantry of the royal houses of Europe. These antique gemstones have been mounted by us onto contemporary 14kt gold fill french hooks. It's a first-class piece of jewelry throughout. Though the gemstones are antique, hand crafted and hand matched, the settings are contemporary. If you prefer, they could also be remounted onto kidney wires, lever backs, euroclicks, or ball studs; or remounted onto sterling silver.

For more than 7,000 years lapis lazuli has been mined as a gemstone in Afghanistan, near ancient Mesopotamia, and traded throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. Along with turquoise and carnelian, lapis lazuli is undoubtedly amongst the most ancient of gemstones. The most ancient jewelry typically used one or more of these three gemstones (carnelian, turquoise), and lapis lazuli was certainly very popular. The famous mask covering the head of Tutankhamen's mummy is inlaid primarily in lapis lazuli, with accents of turquoise and carnelian. The tombs of both Tutankhamen and Queen Pu-abi of Sumeria, two of the richest tombs in all history, featured lapis lazuli prominently. Archaeological evidence has shown that as long as 5,000 years ago the Egyptians used it in medicines, pigments (ultramarine), cosmetics (eye-shadow) and, of course, jewelry. Besides jewelry, lapis lazuli has also been used since ancient times for mosaics and other inlaid work, carved amulets, vases, and other objects. Most lapis lazuli contains iron pyrite in the form of golden flecks sprinkled throughout the gemstone, the hallmark characteristic of lapis lazuli, often compared by the ancient with stars in the sky.

You might guess I travel extensively for a living. My profession is a purchasing agent for antique gemstones, which generally come from Russia, India, Ceylon, and Siam. I grew up in the Southern Urals of Russia, just miles away from some of the greatest gemstone producing regions in the world's history. Alexandrite, diamond, emerald, sapphire, chrysoberyl, topaz, demantoid garnet, and many other rare and precious gemstones are produced from the mountains within mere minutes or a few hours from the city I once called home. My interest in the fabulous history of Russian gemstones and the fabulous jewelry of the Czar's led to further education and conacts in India, Ceylon, and Siam, other ancient centers of gemstone production and finishing. Though perhaps difficult to find in the USA, antique gemstones are commonly unmounted from old, broken settings - the gold reused - the gemstones recut and reset.

Before this happens, before these gorgeous antique gemstones are recut, I try to acquire the best of them in their original, antique, hand-finished state - most of them centuries old. I believe that the work created by these long-gone master artisans is worth protecting and preserving rather than destroying this heritage of antique gemstones by recutting the original work out of existence. That by preserving their work, in a sense, we are preserving their lives and the legacy they left for modern times. Far better to appreciate their craft than to destroy it with modern cutting. Not everyone agrees - fully 95% or more of the antique gemstones which come into these marketplaces are recut, and the heritage of the past lost. But if you agree with me that the past is worth protecting, and that past lives and the produce of those lives still matters today, consider buying an antique, hand cut, natural gemstone rather than one of the mass-produced machine cut (often synthetic or "lab produced") gemstones which dominate the market today.

I have always been fascinated with jewelry and gemstones. Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Bombay are great places to find incredible deals on both gemstones and jewelry, and over the years I have made many friends within the trade in these five cities. So you can look for a steady flow of little treasures I discover in my travels, and I will be happy to share with you the best deals I can find through my industry acquaintances in these far-off Asian lands. Though I spend a good part of each year in Europe and Asia, most of the year I am here in the United States, and that's where all of my little treasures are. So you can count on quick shipping and careful packaging. And if I am not home - I have someone who does it for me!

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