Ancient Lapis Scarab

An amulet is anything worn or carried by a person for magical benefit.  Of all the magical objects used by the Egyptians, the amulet was by far the most popular and is believed to derive its powers by several closely related principles. Scarabs were included among the mummy wrappings, either singularly or in groups, believing to guarantee the owner resurrection and a new life.  It was also believed that the scarab beetle kept the heart from speaking unkindly about the deceased.
Finely carved scarabs were used as seals; inscribed scarabs were issued to commemorate important events or buried with mummies.  Metamorphosed form of limestone, rich in the blue mineral Lazulite, a complex feldspathoid that is dark blue in color and often flecked with impurities of calcite, iron pyrites or gold.  The Egyptians considered that ‘its appearance imitated that of the heavens’ and considered it to be superior to all materials other than gold and silver.  They used it extensively in jewelry until the Late Period (747-332 BC) when it was particularly popular for amulets.  It was frequently described as “true” KHESBED to distinguish it from imitations made in faience or glass.  Its primary use was as inlay in jewelry and carved beads for necklaces.
Although small vessels are also known, it could also be used as inlay in the eyes of figurines.  Unlike most other stones used in Egyptian jewelry, it does not occur naturally in the deserts of Egypt but had to be imported either directly from Badakhshan (North Afghanistan) or indirectly as tribute or trade goods from the Near East.  Despite its exotic origin, it was already in use as early as the Predynastic Period, showing that far-reaching exchange networks between North Africa and Western Asia must have already existed in the fourth millennium BC.  It is represented in temple scenes at MEDINAT HABU and at KARNAK.
Lapis was also prized by the Sumerians.  It was at times reserved for royalty and many cultures believed it had a religious significance.  The Sumerians’ quest for the precious blue stone established difficult overland trade routes to mountains of Afghanistan and back to their cities where the rare stone was made into beads, amulets and cylinder seals.  They are shaped and polished by hand and pierced with a bow drill, a tool employed by early lapidaries.