Natural Lapis Lazuli Horn and Leather Necklace

Ancient Egypt: Highly prized by pharaohs and royalty. It was used in jewelry, amulets, and ceremonial objects—most famously on the burial mask of Tutankhamun.

Ultramarine Pigment: During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, imported lapis lazuli was ground into a powder to produce ultramarine, the most valuable and expensive blue pigment of the era. Famous Renaissance painters used it to paint royal garments and religious imagery (such as the robes of the Virgin Mary).

Ancient Mesopotamia: The Sumerians believed the stone contained the spirits of the gods and used it for cylinder seals and carved ornaments.