Daniel Smith Historic Mineral Watercolor - Genuine Lapis Lazuli

Lapis lazuli has been prized for its beauty, its mystical and healing properties, and its perfection as a pigment. Ancient civilizations believed that the veins of glittering pyrite found in the lapis were actual gold, driving up its value. The stone’s expense today, as in the ancient world, results from its hardness, which makes extraction difficult, and it is only mined during the warmest months of the year.

Mined in the mountains of South America, this gem-quality pigment is an opulent medieval blue. There is not a hint of gray in this paint, with a classic, concentrated blue that is extremely vibrant and light reflective (due to the irregular and angular shape of the pigment particles). A touch of golden pyrite found as an inclusion adds a delightful shimmer. The result, for painters, is an elegant, almost three-dimensional effect that is completely different from the predictable blue of synthetic ultramarine pigments.

DANIEL SMITH Genuine Lapis Lazuli is at least 80% pure gem pigment suspended in a natural binder. In richness, prestige and historical precedent, there’s nothing quite like it!

• ASTM Lightfastness Rating: Excellent
• Transparency: Transparent
• Granulating: Yes
• Staining: Non-staining