He pulled out a small glass vial of pigment, ground so fine it looked like captured shadow. Elara touched the glass. She knew that to buy this, she would have to visit specialized apothecaries or high-end mineral dealers who provided certificates of authenticity. Online marketplaces were gambles; she needed the lineage of the stone.

"You don't just buy lapis," Moretti rasped, sliding a heavy wooden box across his workbench. "You negotiate with it."

The highest quality (Royal Blue) typically comes from Afghanistan .

Do you prefer or physical locations in a specific city?

Rub a cotton swab with acetone on the stone; if blue comes off, it’s dyed jasper or howlite .