Lapis lazuli specimen cube

We've always been drawn to lapis lazuli, that deep blue stone that somehow manages to look both ancient and impossibly modern. It's December's birthstone, which is nice if you're into that sort of thing, though honestly we think it works year-round. The Egyptians certainly thought so - they dug it up and wore it like they'd discovered something worth keeping.

Vermeer felt the same way. He ground it into ultramarine pigment and painted with it, which seems like the kind of commitment to a color that we can respect.

There's something about holding a piece of this mineral that makes you feel like you're in on a secret. The depth of it. The way it catches light. We've paired it with acrylic here, which gives you that mineral essence without requiring you to excavate anything yourself.