Zeenat - Natural Lapis Lazuli Silver Ring

From the Rani collection by Orah Jewels and Crafts, a ring with the mass of the stone sitting forward of everything else. Zeenat holds a raw piece of Lapis Lazuli from Badakhshan, Afghanistan in a plain silver bezel, the stone uncut so its natural irregular surface and the full depth of its blue are visible without any polishing or shaping to soften the material's original character.

Lapis Lazuli from Badakhshan is the geological origin of nearly all historically significant lapis in the world, the source for material traded along the ancient Silk Road and used in the finest inlay work of Egypt, Persia, and the Mughal courts. The mineral lazurite within the calcium-rich matrix produces the stone's defining blue, a color that cannot be replicated in any other natural gemstone and that historically commanded prices comparable to gold by weight. Raw, uncut lapis shows the stone as it comes from the mine: the blue not yet equalized by a lapidary's polishing, the slight variation in intensity and texture across the surface still present, the pyrite flecks still at the angles the crystal set them rather than smoothed into a uniform sparkle. The stone selected for Zeenat was inspected at the Orah Jewels facility in Lahore for depth and evenness of color before setting.

The bezel is low and fitted to the perimeter of this specific piece of rough, so the ring is individual rather than produced from a template. At US size 8, the stone centers on the finger with presence and the silver band is plain and rounded, contributing nothing visually beyond the security of the setting.

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

Stone: Natural Lapis Lazuli (Badakhshan, Afghanistan)
Metal: Sterling Silver
Size: US 8
Collection: Rani