Azurite Clusters from Morenci U.S.A. (approx. 40x30 cm)

The Persian word lazhward, meaning blue, is the source of the name azurite. This became lazurium in Latin and then azurium or azurium citramarinum. The names for blue colours in many Romance languages ​​are derived from this. Another Latin name, which we find in Pliny the Elder, is 'lapis armenius'. Azurite has been used for centuries as a blue pigment. The natural crystals found were ground, washed and sieved for this purpose. The heavier the grinding, the darker the pigment. Applications of it are known from ancient Egypt. Its use in the West remained incidental until, in the early Middle Ages, the knowledge about the production method of Egyptian blue was lost. When prosperity increased again in the later Middle Ages, the custom of using azurite as a blue pigment came from China via Persia. It used to be known as Azurro Della Magna, from Italian, and in German it was also called Bergblau. That is in Dutch mountain blue, azure blue or copper lazur. Azurite is nowadays often used in jewellery and is a popular mineral among collectors.