Lapis Lazuli House was founded in the early 1970s by Chilean–American artist Luciana Celis Santelices, who established Chile’s first dedicated lapis lazuli workshop.

After training in traditional stone cutting, lapidary arts, and jewelry fabrication in New York, she moved to Chile to build her practice near the foothills of the Andes. There she designed jewelry, carvings, and ornamental objects using natural Chilean lapis lazuli and sterling silver.

Working both with her own hands and alongside a small group of artisans she personally trained, Luciana developed a distinctive body of work rooted in traditional lapidary techniques and careful stone selection.

Each piece begins with Chilean lapis lazuli and is cut, polished, carved, or set entirely by hand using time-honored methods. No mass production. No factory processes.

Throughout her career, Luciana selected the stones, created the designs, and oversaw the work produced in her studio, maintaining close relationships with the artisans who collaborated with her over many years.

Beginning in 2014, Luciana gradually brought her entire studio collection to the United States. She returned permanently in 2018.

Luciana passed away in 2025. The collection remains in the care of her family and is now distributed through Lapis Lazuli House in the United States.

The pieces offered here come from Luciana’s personal studio collection.