Lapis Lazuli: What the Golden Flecks Actually Are

Hi, I’m Chandler.

A lot of people ask about the little golden flecks in lapis lazuli — the ones that look like stars in a night sky. Those are pyrite inclusions. Pyrite is iron sulfide, the same mineral that makes fool’s gold. In lapis, it shows up as tiny metallic specks scattered through the blue.

The more pyrite flecks, the more authentic the stone usually is. Fake lapis (like dyed howlite or sodalite) often has no pyrite or fake gold paint that looks too uniform. Real lapis — especially from Afghanistan — has these natural imperfections. That’s part of what makes it real.

I only use untreated lapis in my pieces, so the pyrite stays exactly as it came out of the ground. No coatings, no dye, no heating to change the color. The blue is the stone’s own, and the gold flecks are just how it formed. Every cabochon ends up different because the pyrite distribution is never the same.

If you’re looking for lapis with those classic golden flecks, check the pieces I have listed. They sell out when I finish them. 

Thanks for reading. More next Monday.