If you're talking about the gemstone, then "a little pricy" won't begin to cover it. $300 per square foot might start that ballpark! If you're up for that, then I think it would be stunning. High maintainence, but stunning!

If it truly is said gemstone, my personal opinion is that to use for a countertop what some lucky woman dreams of hanging around her neck would be the height of ostentation and crudity.

Kind of harsh, isn't it Castironcook? If Camron can afford it, why bash her as being crude and ostentatious? All of us have something in our kitchens that someone else cannot afford. Does that make it wrong? Should we all just settle for formica because there are people in the world who can't afford even a granite headstone, yet we lavish our countertops with it? Sorry....I just don't see anything wrong with getting what you love and can afford.

ccoombs, I'm with you. Some people would find our appliances ostentatious, and so what?

Those counters would not be affordable for us, but if the OP likes them and can afford them, then there is nothing crude about that. Lighten up - it's the holidays! : )

Lapiz is my dream stone for countertops. Dont know how well it will do in a kitchen because I dont know of anyone who has it. But talk about statement!
Last time I checked it was running $300 per sq ft. Plus you have to find a fabricator who will take on the liability of working on such expensive material.
If I had the finances, I would use it in a second (and hang the remnants around my neck) :)

Wow! What happened to all the GW kitchens support and niceness? Castironcook should stay in the appliance forum! I think it certainly would make a stunning statement! What color cabs? What kind of floor? What kind of backsplash? Need details!
Lisa

There is the metamorphic limestone gemstone Lapis Lazuli which has a lot of calcite (etchable and stainable) and there is the deeply blue granite (not a true granite, but called one for commercial purposes) called "Lapis Lazuli" just because of its color.

And some marble has large chunks of Lapis embedded in it.

Three completely different rocks. The stuff sold for architectural use is seldom gem grade.

Lapis has been used for centuries for architectural purposes. Madame du Barry had a famous chimneypiece of carved lapis. If you like it and can afford it, why not? I'm sure it would be stunning (and you wouldn't have to worry about having to chunk it into the landfill years from now if you want something else--you can always find a market for that stone).

(Incidentally, I had a necklace of Connemara marble many years ago before it became popular for countertops, but I don't think people with serpentine counters are vulgar because of that--don't really see the difference here, myself.)

In a previous house my father had it in his dressing room -- my parents didn't install it, they bought the house with it already there. I know it was STUNNING! As a little girl I just liked to see it glow in the light .... And he had no problems with it, but it didn't see a lot of wear-and-tear. He's a low maintenance man -- shaving, brushing his teeth, a bottle of cologne / aftershave (I never know the difference) on the counter.

In my mother's dressing room was (white) marble, and while she had more stuff on her counter (bottles of perfume) she's equally as low-maintenance as my father. Didn't matter -- her counter still was stained.

I can't speak to how lapis would be in a kitchen but if you get it, enjoy and please show pictures!

When I read the OP, I just assumed s/he meant the type of granite that is called "lapis lazuli" because of its coloration. Although the OP said s/he thought it was a marble. So maybe it's the type of marble that Lazygardens described.

Cameron, your stoneyard is really the best place to find more information since they're the ones who sourced it, and should be able to tell you what kind of stone it is, how porous, what country it's from, etc. Also, if they could give you a small sample, take that sample home and spill wine on it, lemon juice, coffee, to see what happens and how it cleans up--keeping it mind though that the sample hasn't been sealed, and sealer will make a big difference.

Please, Cameron, report back and let us know. Can you take a pic of the slab at the stoneyard? We'd love to see pics!

P.S. Castironcook2, just curious--what material is your countertop?

Lapis Lazuli is usually found in the mountains of
Afganistan. Lapis lazuli is known as the stone of
friendship and truth. The blue stone is said to encourage
harmony in relationships.

I love the deep dark rich hue of blue. Blue would be
glorious on a kitchen counter. Go for it.

~boxerpups

Here is the only image I found but I am sure there
are more. I just have to search in between holiday guests.

{{!gwi}}

Wow, that pic that boxerpups posted is pretty amazing. That would make quite a statement. What cabinets would these be going with? With such a knockout countertop in both color and movement, I think the cabinets would need to be pretty muted (white perhaps?).

And I think we can probably let up a little bit on castironcook. Things can tend to get overblown with such an impersonal medium like the internet.

Hey Everyone,
Thanks for all the responses! The Lapis Lazuli I looked at is beautiful, and a little different from the picture above. The stone I looked at has the same deep blue but with white streaks mixed in as well. So technically its probably Lapis Lazuli mixed with something else. It's a marble and not a granite, thats why I was worried about the staining. As far as price goes, it's a lot less then has been listed by the other posters, if it was $300 a square foot I wouldn't be looking at it. My main question still is durability?? If anyone has any idea as to the durability, that would be great. I'll try to get a picture of the slab and post it here.

Because these exotic stones can be so different from one to the next, I would get a sample and test out the durability yourself. I did that with my samples...on each one I put red wine, vinegar, olive oil, soya sauce, lemon juice, coffee, ketchup, etc. Try it out with whatever you use or cook with on a regular basis, let it sit overnight and see what happens.

"Should we all just settle for formica..."

"I just don't see anything wrong with getting what you love and can afford" Unless it's formica, I guess.