Facetted Chinese Lapis Lazuli Snuff Bottle with Speckled Tones

Chinese lapis lazuli snuff bottle and stopper, of facetted…
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Chinese lapis lazuli snuff bottle and stopper, of facetted pilgrim form, in speckled tones of blue, black and gold, height 8 cm the collection of the Late Dr Alexander Yu Fu Pau

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  • Lapis Lazuli - Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious deep blue coloured stone, sometimes with gold inclusions, that has been used for thousands of years for jewellery, decorative items and decoration.

    It is mined in Afghanistan, Siberia, Chile, USA and Burma. The mines in north-eastern Afghanistan are the largest source of lapis lazuli, and have been operating for over 6,000 years.

    They were the source of the stone for the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilsations.
  • Faceting - Faceting is a technique of removing material from a curved surface, to give a series of flat surfaces but retaining the profile of the original surface.

    The technique is most commonly associated with diamond cutting where the various cuts used such as rose cut and brilliant cut, add life and sparkle to the stone, whilst at the same time removing as little of the stone as possible.

    Faceting by grinding is also used to decorate glass. The stems of many drinking glasses are decorated by cutting a series of flat surfaces on a circular stem, and hollow vessels such as vases may have faceted surfaces.

    In furniture faceting is often applied to legs of tables and chairs, where a circular baluster shaped section is flattened so as to form an octagonal section.