Sultanah - Natural Lapis Lazuli Silver Bracelet

From the Rani collection by Orah Jewels and Crafts, a bracelet that gives a single stone the full surface of the wrist. Sultanah sets geometric Lapis Lazuli pieces from Badakhshan, Afghanistan in silver, the stone inlaid flush into shaped frames that run across an 8.5-inch cuff, the deep blue continuous and uninterrupted from clasp to clasp.

Lapis Lazuli from Badakhshan is the world's oldest continuously traded gemstone, its deep blue the result of lazurite, a complex sulfur-bearing mineral of the sodalite group that forms within calcium-rich metamorphic rock at high altitude. The finest material from Badakhshan carries a saturated, even blue with gold flecks of pyrite distributed through the matrix, the pyrite inclusions acting as the only interruption in an otherwise unified field of color. The geometric forms used in Sultanah bring out a different quality of lapis than rounded or rough-cut stones do: the flat, even surface of each geometric piece reads as a color field rather than a textured object, so the bracelet has a graphic clarity across the wrist. The stone was cut and shaped at the Orah Jewels facility in Lahore, where each piece was sized and calibrated to fit the silver settings precisely before inlaying.

The silver cuff is smooth and rounded at the edges, the inlay work flush so there is no raised lip on the stone surfaces. At 8.5 inches, the piece fits comfortably with some movement on the wrist rather than sitting pinned. The weight is substantial and immediately noticeable, which matches the visual weight of a bracelet this size.

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

Stone: Natural Lapis Lazuli (Badakhshan, Afghanistan)
Metal: Sterling Silver
Size: 8.5 inches
Collection: Rani