Post subject: Retail Value of Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 8:52 pm
Platinum Member
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:20 am Posts: 2756 Location: Southern California, U.S.A.
I'm trying to establish a realistic U.S. retail value on fine quality lapis lazuli sold as rough (see image). This is truly top-end un-dyed and un-waxed material. These polished pieces are large and will require sawing, so I'm thinking a good starting point would be a price per pound or ounce.
Does anyone have recent *actual* experience in marketing lapis of this quality in the U.S.? If so I'd appreciate your input on pricing.
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I can not really help you out with current US retail prices but it seems to me that they have made tremendous efforts to get the machinerys working at the mines. In Sainte Marie aux Mines this summer, heaps of that stuff (as in the image) was on display. Prices of that type of chunks, for sawing, retail in Stockholm was about 4000-5000 SEK per kilo last time I looked. I suppose the ones in the image also have some white streaks and pyrite clusters here and there. If so, that would translate to somewhere between 500 and 700 dollars per kilo. Might have been old stock I'm not sure. And also maybe not translateable to the american market...
What a carving material if one is up to that kind of work!!
Post subject: Re: Retail Value of Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2011 8:39 am
Established Member
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:39 am Posts: 14
I've heard it is $100-120 a kilo for average grade in the US southwest. Price in Afghanistan is $35 to $50 (for the best) per kilo. I'm thinking about have some squares cut while I'm here to use as accent tiles.
Post subject: Re: Retail Value of Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:17 am
Platinum Member
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:20 am Posts: 2756 Location: Southern California, U.S.A.
Conny Forsberg wrote:
In Sainte Marie aux Mines this summer, heaps of that stuff (as in the image) was on display. Prices of that type of chunks, for sawing, retail in Stockholm was about 4000-5000 SEK per kilo last time I looked. I suppose the ones in the image also have some white streaks and pyrite clusters here and there. If so, that would translate to somewhere between 500 and 700 dollars per kilo.
Conny, I'm posting an image by Tim (at least he posted it) of lapis on display at the last Sainte Marie aux Mines show. Is it the same stone you refer to above?
If so I think it's of considerably lower quality than the lapis shown in my image upthread. The hue is much less saturate and there's an abundance of pyrite and white calcite unlike the stone shown in my image. Is this the $500-$700 Kilo retail material you mention?
I'm not just being picky. I'm trying to find apples-to-apples comparisons.
Actually that was just one of the piles you could see in SMaM. The ones in this image are for sure of much worse quality. I did see also top quality in heaps but chunks not really that size. As I brought home kilos of top material myself from my trip to Pak/Afgh in '95, I still have what I need regarding Lapis Lazuli so I did not bother to check prices. I bet they have gone up since I bought mine as I used to sell top stuff retail for 75 bucks per kilo:)
Post subject: Re: Retail Value of Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli
Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:15 am
Valued Contributor
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:46 am Posts: 250 Location: Santa Fe/Chicago
Hi Rom,
I'm a lapis lover, and those pic's are amazing. Last year in Tucson, the biggest dealer was in the back at Peublo. High quality. Tables full. If my memory serves me, his prices ranged in the $40-100 per kilo range. The $40 being at the end of the show, . A smattering of dealers around town had anywhere from a few to a dozen pieces. Didn't see quantities at the Denver show.
If you're not going to Tucson, happy to send you a report.
Best,
360
_________________ "Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid". - Goethe
The large slabs are usually made with grade 2 or 3 lapis. And they are often dyed or just painted with a spray can. I walk by the dealers everyday painting these large slabs. They usually run 35-80 dollars a kilo. I have not cut one of the slabs open to see how they look on the inside but I have a feeling they are much calcite and pyrite then they look from the outside. I have seen lapis sell on Polygon for 10-15 a carat if it is good quality. That is wholesale pricing. Hopefully that helps.
Post subject: Re: Retail Value of Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli
Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:49 pm
Valued Contributor
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:06 am Posts: 418 Location: uk
Hi It still seem that about all Afghan lapis,still ends up in Namak Mandi ,Peshawar. after the Russian intervention in to Afghanistan, the outlet for lapis changed from Kabul to Peshawar, As for quality do not think you can find any better quality than is in the Tukankhamen death mask
Post subject: Re: Retail Value of Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli
Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:51 pm
Valued Contributor
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:06 am Posts: 418 Location: uk
Hi Rick I am not up to date with the price of high grade lapis rough, but Think You will have to pay a bit more than $100 a kilo for the type of quality lapis that is in the Tukankhman death mask
Top quality lapis which is sold as grade one in Afghanistan sells for around $250-800 a kilo depending on how many middlemen are in between you and the mine. The price drops considerably at each subsequent grade level.
Post subject: Re: Retail Value of Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli
Posted: Wed May 29, 2019 5:52 am
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2019 4:07 am Posts: 4
The only measure of authenticity and determining the lapis lazuli grade is by knowing the percentage of Lazurite mineral in it..the greater, the better...
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