Shehzaadi - Natural Lapis Lazuli Silver Necklace

From the Rani collection by Orah Jewels and Crafts, a necklace that moves along the full circumference of the neck. Shehzaadi sets geometric pieces of Lapis Lazuli from Badakhshan, Afghanistan in silver, the inlaid stones running across an 18-inch piece that covers the collarbone and sits low enough to be seen over most necklines, the deep blue reading from across a room.

Lapis Lazuli from Badakhshan has supplied the world's most coveted blue for over 6,000 years. The mines at Sar-e-Sang in Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan are the same mines that supplied ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley civilizations with the stone they used for seals, inlay work, and ground pigment for ultramarine paint. The blue is produced by lazurite, a sulfur-bearing member of the sodalite mineral group, within a matrix of white calcite and black graphite with pyrite flecks that appear gold. The finest Badakhshan material has a deep, even saturation with minimal white calcite veining, the pyrite distributed evenly rather than concentrated. The stone cut and shaped for Shehzaadi at the Orah Jewels lapidary in Lahore was selected for depth and evenness of color across all the geometric pieces so that the necklace reads as one continuous field of blue rather than a collection of mismatched pieces.

The silver framework is polished, the lapis inlaid flush and level. The necklace has weight and presence on the neck, substantial enough to feel like an ornament but balanced so it does not pull forward. At 18 inches, it sits just below the collarbone, accessible to most necklines.

Made at the Orah Jewels facility in Lahore. Lapis from Badakhshan, Afghanistan, natural and unenhanced. One piece.

Stone: Natural Lapis Lazuli (Badakhshan, Afghanistan)
Metal: Sterling Silver
Size: 18 inches
Collection: Rani