Lapis Lazuli Double Strand Necklace

Lapis lazuli chip beads, cultured freshwater oval seed pearls, firewire thread, 14/20 gold-filled findings and toggle clasp | 18.5"

Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest gem materials in continuous use, mined in Afghanistan for more than six thousand years and traded across the ancient world. Ground into ultramarine pigment, it was the most expensive color available to Renaissance painters, worth more than gold by weight. Its theological associations followed directly from that value: patrons commissioned the Virgin's robe in ultramarine not because blue was already sacred, but because the costliness of the pigment was itself an act of devotion. The color's holiness was inseparable from what it cost.

The shift from Byzantine gold to Renaissance lapis was not merely aesthetic. It was economic and devotional at once. Gold receded. Blue advanced. This necklace is made in that tradition: lapis paired with 14/20 gold-filled findings, not to subordinate the gold but to place it in its proper relationship to the stone.

Firewire thread is used in place of standard beading wire, chosen for its strength and flexibility with the weight of lapis. The two strands move independently and settle together. The findings and toggle clasp are 14/20 gold-filled throughout.

Part of the Studio Jewelry line: made with the same attention as the atelier work, in forms that can be worn every day.