Sahraaj - Lapis Lazuli Silver Ring

From the Mehr collection by Orah Jewels and Crafts, Sahraaj is a statement ring built around a single rough piece of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, held within heavily textured sterling silver that frames and extends the raw presence of the stone without diminishing it.

Lapis lazuli from Badakhshan, Afghanistan arrives at the Orah Jewels facility as it comes from the mountain: unshaped by the lapidary wheel, carrying the natural surface of the mineral rather than the controlled finish of polished gemstone. The blue of this particular material is not produced by a coating or treatment. It is the lazurite content of the rock itself, a mineral formed under metamorphic conditions deep in the earth, and the color it produces is one of the most historically charged blues in the world. Pyrite inclusions run through the stone as fine threads of gold, the natural result of iron sulfide crystallizing alongside the lazurite under pressure. White calcite veining may be present as well, the geological record of the stone's formation preserved in each piece. No two rough lapis stones carry the same pattern of inclusions, which means every Sahraaj ring is materially different from every other.

The textured silver setting is worked by hand at the Orah facility in Lahore, the surface built up with granular and hammered detailing that catches light differently from the lapis and creates a strong visual contrast between the rough, matte quality of the stone and the worked surface of the metal. Sahraaj is a large ring by design. It is made for a finger that carries a ring as an intentional act rather than an ornament. US 8.5. One ring.

Stone: Natural Rough Lapis Lazuli (Badakhshan, Afghanistan)
Metal: Sterling Silver
Size: US 8.5