Zameen - Lapis Lazuli and White Topaz Silver Necklace

From the Mehr collection by Orah Jewels and Crafts, Zameen pairs lapis lazuli from Afghanistan with white topaz in a silver pendant that names itself after the earth. The word zameen means ground, land, earth in Urdu, and the pairing of the deep mineral blue of lapis with the clear light return of white topaz is precisely that: something that pulls from the earth and holds light at the same time.

Lapis lazuli from Badakhshan, Afghanistan is one of the most geologically and historically weighted stones in the world. Extracted from high altitude mines in the Hindu Kush for over six thousand years, it traveled ancient trade routes as both raw material and finished object, supplying Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Indus Valley with a blue that no other source could provide. The color is produced by lazurite, a mineral belonging to the sodalite group that forms under specific metamorphic conditions and generates a deep, saturated blue that reads from within the stone rather than sitting on its surface. The pyrite inclusions in Zameen appear as fine gold threading across the blue, and the stone is presented with its full geological character intact. White topaz, set alongside the lapis, operates differently: it is transparent where the lapis is opaque, and its high refractive index means it returns light with a precision that makes the transition between the two stones a considered contrast rather than an accident.

The pendant form in Zameen is sized to carry both stones without either dominating the chain. At 10 inches, the chain brings the pendant to the upper chest, where the blue of the lapis and the brightness of the topaz read clearly against the skin. The silver work is done at the Orah Jewels facility in Lahore, with the lapis sourced directly from Afghanistan through Orah's gemstone network. One piece.

Stones: Natural Lapis Lazuli (Badakhshan, Afghanistan) and White Topaz
Metal: Sterling Silver
Chain Length: 10"