Blue is the color of the sky, which is open, crisp and clean. Blue is also the color of water, which represents the ability to wash away "sins," uncleanliness, or the past, in general.

Explainer / Lapis lazuli, prized since ancient times for its dazzling blue hue and protective properties, is attracting a new generation of admirers, including Rihanna, Kate Middleton and Jennifer ...

And creating a vivid blue pigment from lapis lazuli required an Arabic method of oil flotation that did not appear in European artist manuals until after the 15th century.