The most expensive paint color in the world

Ultramarine, derived from the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli, is historically one of the most expensive pigments in the world. Lapis lazuli, the stone from which ultramarine is extracted, has been used and revered since ancient times. It was mined in the Sar-i Sang mines of Afghanistan and traded to the far reaches of the ancient world, including Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Indus Valley. Its deep blue hue made it a symbol of royalty and divinity. Ultramarine is produced by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. However, the process of extracting the purest blue pigment from the stone is intricate and labor-intensive. The stone has to be ground, washed, and then separated from its golden flecks of pyrite and calcite to get the richest blue. This painstaking process contributed to its high cost. Due to its cost, ultramarine was often reserved for the most important parts of a painting, such as the robes of the Virgin Mary in Christian art. Artists would sometimes specify in their contracts that they were to use genuine ultramarine, underscoring the prestige associated with the pigment.