Zevar - Lapis Lazuli Silver Earrings

From the Mehr collection by Orah Jewels and Crafts, Zevar pairs lapis lazuli from Afghanistan with white topaz in an oval form worked in sterling silver. The oval is not the most common shape in the Mehr collection, and the choice here is deliberate: the curved form softens the density of the lapis and gives the white topaz room to catch light at the edges without competing with the blue at the center.

Lapis lazuli from Badakhshan, Afghanistan is among the most historically significant gemstone materials in the world, extracted from the same mountain deposits for over six thousand years and traded continuously across civilizations that had no other contact with each other. The blue it carries is produced by lazurite, a sulfur-bearing mineral that forms under metamorphic conditions and generates a color of extraordinary density and consistency. It does not fade, does not change with exposure to light, and cannot be precisely replicated by any synthetic material. In Zevar, the lapis is shaped into an oval with a polished face that allows the full depth of the blue to read clearly, with the characteristic pyrite inclusions present as fine gold detail across the surface. The white calcite veining, if present, is part of the geological record of the stone and is left intact.

White topaz is set at the frame of the earring to create a ring of brightness around the lapis. It has one of the highest refractive indices among naturally colorless gemstones, returning light cleanly and precisely, which makes the transition from the bright edge to the deep blue center of each earring a studied contrast rather than an accident of design. At 2 inches, Zevar is a drop earring with enough presence to read at a distance while remaining considered rather than loud. Made in Lahore at the Orah Jewels and Crafts facility. One pair.

Stones: Natural Lapis Lazuli (Badakhshan, Afghanistan)
Metal: Sterling Silver
Drop Length: 2"