Lapis lazuli or amethyst is a cyan, blue mineral used for decoration and is considered one of the gemstones. The finest types of lapis lazuli are considered to be clear, reddish or greenish in color. The date of the beginning of the extraction of lapis lazuli is estimated to 6500 years, when it was mined from Badakhshan in Afghanistan. Traces of stone have also been found in sites dating back to the pre-captive era of Egypt, and stone can also be found in the Caucasus and Mauritania.