The Surprising Origin of Gems Found Between a Woman’s Teeth …

No, this is not about the latest Tic Tok trend, or even a celebrity who wants to add a little sparkle to their smile. This story is about a woman who lived over a thousand years ago and was buried in a German monastery. Researchers discovered a beautiful blue color embedded in tartar that had accumulated between her teeth. They determined that it was ultramarine. That’s a deep blue pigment, derived from Lapis Lazuli, a semiprecious stone. The gem was found only in Afghanistan at the time the woman was alive. The ultramarine color was commonly used by Medieval writers and painters, often as the color of the Virgin Mary’s robes in various forms of art.

Knowing that, and since ultramarine was very expensive at that time, it was postulated that the woman was a nun. She may have helped produce manuscripts or possibly had a hand in creating the pigment for others to use. Regardless, the tartar on her teeth preserved a glimpse into her life a millennium ago.

Clearly, she didn’t have access to good dental care, but in this case, some scientists and historians were pretty happy about it. If she had the tartar removed, the pigment may not have been preserved, but she might have kept a few more teeth !

They say you can’t take it with you, but this time, a woman found a way to keep some ultramarine for a thousand years.

What are the top five things you hope to keep for the next thousand years ?

* Thanks to The Atlantic, where some of this information was previously published.