Lapis-Lazuli is actually a rock composed of different minerals that gives Lapis-lazuli its deep-sea blue, white streaks (calcite) and little golden patterning (pyrite). It was the most prized stone for Persians that saw in Lapis-Lazuli a gorgeous starry sky. The Persian civilisation possessed the best deposits, and the actual Iran still produces some of the most beautiful stones. Afghanistan with the mines of the Sar-e-Sang area has the most beautiful Lapis-lazulis, of which Marco-Polo himself already praised the quality. Nowadays, the most productives deposits are in the area of the city Ovalle in Chile, which has choosed Lapis-Lazuli as its national stone.