Lapis lazuli

Lapis lazuli is a beautiful blue rock that looks like the sky on a sunny day. It's got white and gold specks in it, like tiny stars. It was known as far back as ancient times, when people used it to make jewelry and decorations because of its pretty color.

Lapis lazuli comes from mines deep in the ground where it's very dark and sometimes dangerous, but miners dig it up so that we can use it to make things. People still use lapis lazuli to make pretty jewelry, art, and decorations today.

But, Did you know that lapis lazuli was also used to make paint for artists? Long ago, artists used to grind up the rock and mix it with other things to make paint. They loved the bright blue color that lapis lazuli made, but it was very expensive because it was hard to find. So they only used it for special paintings with important people in them or for very important messages.

So, to sum up, Lapis lazuli is a pretty blue rock that people dig up from the ground and use to make beautiful things, like jewelry and paintings.