Lapis Lazuli Beads
Lapis lazuli beads carry the deepest blue in the gemstone palette — a saturated royal blue flecked with gold pyrite, so the stone reads as color and metal at once. Faceted lapis sharpens the blue under light; matte and denim lapis, the lighter calcite-veined grade, soften it into a washed, casual blue. Rounds from 4mm to 10mm are the mala and bracelet sizes, with guru beads to match. Set beside carnelian, turquoise or gold-tone metal the blue goes richer, and a single strand can hold a whole piece together.
Lapis 8x10mm Tri Cut Faceted Rondelle - 15-16 Inch
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$41.00
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$41.00
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$41.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$41.00
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$41.00
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$41.00
$41.00
$41.00
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$41.00
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$41.00
Lapis 8x6 Table Cut Corner Drilled Cube-15-16 Inch
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$36.00
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$36.00
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$36.00
$36.00
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$36.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$36.00
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$36.00
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$36.00
$36.00
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$36.00
Lapis 6mm Natural Energy Prism Faceted - 15-16 Inch
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$30.00
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$30.00
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$30.00
Lapis A Grade 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Denim Lapis 12mm Guru Bead - CLEARANCE
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
Denim Lapis has the brilliant blue and gold of higher end Lapis, as well as gray and white inclusions in marbled patterns. Lapis is highly regarded...
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$12.00
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$12.00
Large Hole
Lapis 8mm Round Faceted Large Hole Bead 8-Inch
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
Large Hole
Matte Lapis Large Hole 8mm Rondelle - 8-inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Large Hole
Lapis Large Hole 8mm Rondelle - 8-inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Large Hole
Lapis 10mm Round Large Hole 8-Inch
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$29.00
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$29.00
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$29.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$29.00
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$29.00
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$29.00
Lapis 12mm Coin 8-Inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Lapis, or Lapis Lazuli, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. D...
View full details
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Lapis 4mm Faceted Rondelle 8-Inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
Lapis, or Lapis Lazuli, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. D...
View full details
Original price
$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Lapis 8mm Faceted Rondelle 8-Inch
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$36.00
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$36.00
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$36.00
$36.00
$36.00
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$36.00
Current price
$36.00
Lapis, or Lapis Lazuli, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. D...
View full details
Original price
$36.00
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Original price
$36.00
Original price
$36.00
$36.00
$36.00
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$36.00
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$36.00
Lapis 10mm Round - 8-Inch
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$29.00
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$29.00
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$29.00
$29.00
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Current price
$29.00
Lapis, or Lapis Lazuli, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. D...
View full details
Original price
$29.00
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$29.00
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$29.00
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$29.00
MATTE Lapis 8mm Round - 8-Inch
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$19.00
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$19.00
Lapis, or Lapis Lazuli, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. D...
View full details
Original price
$19.00
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$19.00
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$19.00
Lapis 6mm Round 8-Inch
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$17.00
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$17.00
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$17.00
Lapis, or Lapis Lazuli, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. D...
View full details
Original price
$17.00
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$17.00
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$17.00
$17.00
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$17.00
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$17.00
Lapis 4mm Round 8-Inch
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$15.00
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$15.00
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$15.00
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$15.00
Current price
$15.00
Lapis, or Lapis Lazuli, is a deep blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. D...
View full details
Original price
$15.00
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Original price
$15.00
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$15.00
$15.00
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$15.00
Lapis 8mm Double Heart Faceted - 15-16 Inch
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$28.00
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$28.00
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$28.00
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$28.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$28.00
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Original price
$28.00
Original price
$28.00
$28.00
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$28.00
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$28.00
Lapis 4mm Faceted Coin 15-16 Inch
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$26.00
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$26.00
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$26.00
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$26.00
Lapis is a semi-precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked with...
View full details
Original price
$26.00
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Original price
$26.00
Original price
$26.00
$26.00
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$26.00
Lapis 4mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Lapis is a semi-precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked with...
View full details
Original price
$24.00
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Original price
$24.00
Original price
$24.00
$24.00
$24.00
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Current price
$24.00
Lapis 2mm Round 15-16 Inch
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$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
Lapis is a semi-precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked with...
View full details
Original price
$22.00
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Original price
$22.00
Original price
$22.00
$22.00
$22.00
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$22.00
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$22.00
Lapis 6mm Double Heart Faceted - 15-16 Inch
Original price
$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Current price
$24.00
Lapis is a semi to precious stone and one of the most sought after throughout history. It is highly regarded for its beautiful blue color flecked w...
View full details
Original price
$24.00
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Original price
$24.00
Original price
$24.00
$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Current price
$24.00
Lapis lazuli — the blue with gold in it
Lapis lazuli is the deepest, most saturated blue in the bead world — a royal ultramarine worked for thousands of years. Close up, the blue carries flecks of gold, which is pyrite, and often threads of white calcite; both are natural to the stone, and the pyrite is the surest mark of real lapis. Genuine strands show depth in the blue, the metallic glint of the pyrite, and a little variation from bead to bead.
Deep blue to denim lapis — how the color grades
Lapis is graded on the blue. The top grades are a rich, even royal blue with fine gold pyrite scattered through it and little white calcite; as the calcite increases the blue lightens and the strand moves toward denim lapis, the washed jean-blue grade that suits casual pieces. Some lapis in the trade is dyed to deepen the blue and waxed to seal the porous surface. Beads within a strand are matched for color, with the pyrite left in as the mark of the real thing.
Lapis sizes and cuts — 2mm to 12mm
Lapis is a softer, porous stone (Mohs 5–5.5): keep it clear of acids, ultrasonic cleaners, perfume and long soaks, and wipe it with a soft cloth and mild soap. It comes in rounds from 2mm to 12mm — smooth, faceted and matte — with faceted rondelles, heishi, table-cut cubes, coins, chips, hearts and stars, and 8mm rounds with guru beads for malas; large-hole rounds and rondelles run on 8-inch strands. It pairs with carnelian, turquoise, amazonite and aquamarine.
About this stone
Color
Deep BlueRoyal BlueDenim Blue (with calcite)
Origin
AfghanistanChileRussia
Mohs hardness
5–5.5
Treatment categories
NaturalDyedWaxed
Industry-standard treatment
Some dyeing to deepen color; some waxing to seal porous material
Mineral chemistry
Rock — primarily lazurite with pyrite (gold flecks) and calcite (white veining)
Crystal system
N/A (rock, not single mineral)
Stone family
Lapis Lazuli
Common cuts
RoundRondelleNuggetSmoothFaceted Rondelle
Common sizes
4mm6mm8mm10mm
Care notes
Soft (Mohs 5–5.5). Sensitive to acids, ultrasonics, and prolonged water. Soft cloth and mild soap only.
Related stones
Sodalite, Turquoise, Azurite
Frequently asked questions
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Is your lapis real, or is it dyed sodalite?
Lapis lazuli is a rock — primarily lazurite, with pyrite (the metallic gold flecking) and calcite (the white veining). Dyed sodalite, dyed howlite and dyed jasper are common imitations sold as "lapis" in the cheap-bead market; pyrite is the practical authentication signal, since sodalite carries none. Dyed lapis — real lapis with the blue deepened — is labelled where known. -
What's the difference between Afghan, Chilean, and Russian lapis?
Afghan lapis (Sar-e-Sang valley) is the historic source — deep royal blue, abundant gold pyrite, minimal calcite. Chilean lapis is lighter, sometimes greenish, with more calcite veining and less pyrite. Russian (Lake Baikal) lapis sits between the two on saturation. Origin sets the visual register and how the strand reads in finished work. -
Is dyed lapis the same as fake lapis, and how can I tell?
No. Dyed lapis is lapis lazuli rock whose blue has been deepened with color, usually because the natural material showed calcite or pale zoning. Fake lapis is dyed sodalite, howlite or jasper — a different mineral, with no pyrite. The field test for dye is an acetone swab on an inconspicuous spot: dye transfers to the cotton, natural color stays put. Under magnification dye also pools around pyrite and in calcite veins. Dyed strands are labelled where known. -
What is denim lapis?
Denim lapis is the trade name for lighter, lower-saturation lapis lazuli with more calcite veining — typically Chilean material. The look is a washed jean-blue with the same gold pyrite flecking. It is real lapis lazuli and a grade of its own: the casual register of the stone where deep royal blue is the formal one, and a matte finish takes it further that way. -
What sizes and cuts do lapis lazuli beads come in?
Rounds carry the range — 2mm and 3mm accents, 4mm and 6mm everyday sizes, 8mm as the mala and bracelet standard, 10mm and 12mm statement rounds — smooth, faceted, microfaceted or matte, graded A, AA and AAA on the evenness of the blue. Beyond rounds: faceted rondelles from 3x6mm to 8x10mm, 2x4mm heishi and irregular discs, table-cut cubes from 3mm to 7mm, coins and star-cut coins, chips, nuggets, tubes, rice beads, drops, hearts, stars and leaves, energy prisms, guru beads for malas, and large-hole rounds and rondelles on 8-inch strands. Cabochons, pendants and donuts cover the focal end.