What is the most common color for lapis lazuli?

• A. Blue
• B. Yellow
• C. Purple
• D. Orange

Answer: (A)

Lapis lazuli owes its characteristic look to lazurite, a mineral that gives a deep ultramarine blue color. That vivid blue is the dominant and most recognizable feature of the stone, even when other minerals like white calcite or gold-colored pyrite appear as inclusions. Because the blue hue comes from lazurite itself, blue is by far the most common color you’ll see in lapis lazuli. Yellow, purple, or orange aren’t typical for this stone, since those colors would come from different minerals that aren’t the main component of lapis lazuli.