Six Buttons’ Journey
Description
I’ve never been to Afghanistan, but I have a family member who visited …
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Background/Story
– From East to West
I’ve never been to Afghanistan, but I have a family member who visited this Middle East country a number of years ago. While there, she told me Afghanistan is known for its breathtakingly deep blue Lapis Lazuli stone. While on her visit, I asked if she could find buttons made from Lapis Lazuli. After some effort, she obtained six simple buttons. I didn’t know what to expect but when she gave them to me, I fell in love with my unusual gift.
Each round-shaped button is 7/8 inch in width. Its face is totally unadorned-no incising or any other surface design. The worked stones are set in a low silver-like metal cup, with a simple loop back. I asked my family member why the buttons were without surface adornment. She told me the Afghani craftsman had very limited tools, and nothing that could create an elaborate design on the face of a button. Since then, I’ve made an effort to learn more about Lapis Lazuli.
Lapis Lazuli is a semi-precious stone, not a crystal. Its name, Lapis Lazuli, is a combination of Lapis (stone) and Lazuli (Persian for blue). The stone is created from several minerals including Pyrite. Afghanistan, considered the chief source of Lapis Lazuli worldwide, has mined the rock for thousands of years in the rugged mountains of northwest Afghanistan. Due to the current political and social upheaval in the country, mining for it may have ceased. Lapis Lazuli is also mined in Siberia, parts of Chili and a small area in Colorado. Not all Lapis Lazuli is of the same quality.
The most valuable stones are deep blue/black in color, have no cracks and contain little or no white calcite. High quality Lapis Lazuli might have specks of Pyrite—making the stone look like it has gold sprinkles. With these standards in mind, how do I evaluate the quality of stone in my buttons?
That’s a good question. Because a dark, even blue stone is of higher value, lesser quality rock is often dyed to enhance its surface look. However, dyed Lapis Lazuli will fade over time. Three of my buttons display definite hairline cracks. One has spider-like lines of white calcite, and none display flecks or streaks of Pyrite. I would not be surprised if my buttons have been dyed too. Regardless of the flaws in my buttons, it’s amazing the fact one of my family obtained them from a local Afghani jeweler, created in a country now isolated from the West. These deep, rich blue buttons’ journey from east to west makes them beautiful in their own right, and of great value to me.
By Virginia A. Johnson
Sublimity, Oregon
Corvallis Button Club
Photo: Hannes Grobe – CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikipedia
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