Lapis Lazuli stone found on Lake Tabourie

Tabourie residents Max and Nola Sharwood think they uncovered a Lapis Lazuli stone.

These stones date back to 4000 BC and are just not meant to be found in the ground in the Shoalhaven right near the Princes Highway.

Whille Max and Nola have not as yet got officially verification of their find, several well-educated people, one who had the stone described to him over the phone and the other who had seen the stone in person, came up with the same conclusion - it sounds and feels like a Lapis Lazuli stone, which is normally found in the Northern Hemisphere.

The discovery of stone dates back to this time last year when the Currowan Fire had just burnt it way right up to Max and Nola's fence.

Sadly a kangaroo perished in the bushfire. Max and Andy from next door started to dig a hole to bury the roo.

There among the soil, which had not been dug up before, according to Max and Nola, a beautiful blue stone was found.

"I would say it was getting close to three-foot down and all of a sudden it [the stone] showed up," Max said.

It came out with a shovel load of dirt.

"I thought 'this looks good'," Max said thinking he had found something really precious.

"I knew it was not a sapphire or anything but I knew it was an odd stone to find."

Nola said they just kept the stone and a neighbour down the road saw it and said it was a Lapis Lazuli stone.

Nola described the neighour as a "very knowledgeable person who just knows things".

Nola then described the stone to her nephew, who works in a library.

"He said 'Aunty Nola they are very ancient stones and are mentioned in the Bible, and Egyptians had them in their headdresses'," Nola said.

Nola wants to know where did it come from and how did it get to Lake Tabourie?

"It's a mystery - a Tabourie mystery," she said.

"Everyone we show says it must have been once covered in water and sand to make it like this," she added explaining the stone's polished/smooth appearance.

Max also wants to find out the origins of the mysterious stone.

"I don't think we will ever find out - it could have been there for a 1000 years," Max said.

Where there is one there might be others - right Max?

"Feel free mate if you want to go out and dig more holes," Max said.

Nola has claimed the stone.

"It's not worth anything but I just like it," Nola said.

If anyone can assist in solving this mystery they can contact Damian McGill at damian.mcgill@austcommunitymedia.com.au

According to Fara Braid from the International Gem Society the beautiful blue stone lapis lazuli has been highly prized for thousands of years.

Scholars believe many early historical references to sapphire may actually refer to samples of lapis lazuli.

Jewelry made from this lazurite-rich rock has been found in prehistoric tombs in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Not surprisingly, lapis lazuli symbolism stretches back in time for millennia.

Lapis lazuli legends are among the oldest in the world. The myth of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, and her descent and return from the underworld may date from as early as 4,000 BCE.

Many ancient civilizations prized lapis lazuli. To them, the stone had religious significance and reflected the high status of their rulers.

In ancient times, cylinder seals carved from lapis lazuli were used to impress official seals, signatures, or religious inscriptions on wet clay. When rolled across the clay, these cylinders created very detailed impressions with both text and images. The seals themselves could be worn as necklaces, too. Lapis lazuli could very well have sealed or marked texts

Today, lapis lazuli is mined at the ancient deposits of Afghanistan. Additional deposits are mined in Chile, Siberia, the United States, and Myanmar.