This masterpiece was carved from natural untreated lapis lazuli utilizing thevwhite calcite portion for the horses mane.

Chinese Zodiac: 7th of the 12-year cycle
Birthstone: September

Lapis lazuli is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. As early as the 7th millennium BC, lapis lazuli was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines, in Shortugai, and in other mines in Badakhshan province in modern northeast Afghanistan.

The sweet sounding, somewhat melodic name of this gem is composed of 'Lapis', the Latin word for stone, and 'Azula', which comes from the Arabic and means 'blue'. Historians believe the link between humans and lapis lazuli stretches back more than 6,500 years. The gem was treasured by the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. They valued it for its vivid, exquisite color, and prized it as much as they prized other blue gems like sapphire and turquoise.