Lapis Lazuli Blue Prayer beads with Cross
The euphonious name is composed from 'lapis', the Latin word for stone, and 'azula', which comes from the Arabic and means blue. Lapis lazuli is regarded by many people around the world as the stone of friendship and truth. As they did more than 5000 years ago, the best raw stones still come from the steep Hindu Kush in the north-east of Afghanistan.
