Persian Blue

The color Persian blue is named from the blue color of some Persian pottery and the color of tiles used in and on mosques and palaces in Iran and in other places in the Middle East. Persian blue is a representation of the color of the mineral lapis lazuli which comes from Persia and Afghanistan. The color azure is also named after the mineral lapis lazuli. The first recorded use of Persian blue as a color name in English was in 1669. It comes in three major tones: 1. Persian blue proper: a bright medium blue; 2. medium Persian blue (a medium slightly grayish blue that is slightly indigoish); 3. and a kind of dark blue which is referred to as Persian indigo, dark Persian blue, or regimental, that is much closer to the web color indigo.