This beautifully carved lapis dragon with gold eyes and golden hues on his scales and tail has been made into a unique pendant necklace.  I have suspended him from a glass lamp work bead that has the same colors of blue as the lapis.  The lapis dragon and glass bead drop 3 inches from a black natural leather cord that adjusts from 15 inches to 30 inches so it can be worn a variety of lights.  The lapis dragon is approximately one and one quarter-inch wide.

The dragon is the imperial emblem of the Emperors from the Han period. The dragon, a supernatural creature, is the symbol of power, strength, wisdom and goodness and represents the utmost in attainment: good luck and success in life. It is also believed to be the guardian of hidden treasures. It represents the spirit of growth and change.

Flecked with the gold of pyrite or calcite white, lapis was a favorite for jewelry of the ancient Egyptians. Since ancient times it has been used to make the artists' pigment ultramarine blue by grinding the stone into a fine powder.