Lapis lazuli is a rock composed of different minerals giving it its blue overseas color, its fine white veins (calcite) and its small golden points (pyrite). Lapis was the most sought after stone by the Persians who saw in it a starry sky. The Persian civilization had the most beautiful deposits, and the current Iran still produces among the most beautiful stones. Afghanistan with the mines of the region of Sar-e-Sang has the most beautiful lapis, which Marco Polo already praised. Currently, the most productive deposits are in the vicinity of the city of Ovalle, Chile, which has made it its national stone.