With its intense deep blue color and golden pyrite shimmers, it's no surprise lapis lazuli was one of the first stones worn as jewelry. In powder form, it was even used as eye shadow by Cleopatra! But lapis' most enduring legacy can be found in museums-transformed into the rich, radiant "ultramarine" of such Renaissance masterpieces as Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Because pricey lapis was rarely used in paint after the 1800s, it is often the first clue in assessing a painting's age amd authenticity. Imagine then what Leonardo would've given to own 340 carats of lapis lazuli, the stone once considered "more expensive than gold"! Nuggety twists of natural lapis are faceted and strung cheek-to-cheek fashion along a 16" strand, individually knotted, then finessed with fancy sterling silver toggle, 2" extender chain. As in nature, stones will vary in shade, shape and striation.