Lazurite is the principal component responsible for the deep blue color of lapis lazuli.
Lazurite is a blue mineral in the sodalite group and is found mainly in metamorphosed carbonate rocks. Natural lapis lazuli is not a single mineral; it is a rock made mostly of lazurite, commonly mixed with calcite and pyrite. The best material has an intense blue color and relatively little pale calcite.
Lapis lazuli has been prized for thousands of years. Ancient sources in the Badakhshan region of Afghanistan supplied blue stone to civilizations across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Ground lapis was also processed into the pigment ultramarine, once more valuable than some precious metals.
Lazurite is often confused with azurite because both are blue copper minerals or mineral names associated with blue color. However, lazurite is a sulfur-bearing aluminosilicate, while azurite is a copper carbonate mineral.