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Royal blue with white veining

Sodalite crystals

Sodalite is sodium aluminum silicate chloride (Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄Cl₂), royal blue with white veining, rated 5.5–6 on the Mohs scale. Traditionally, it is associated with rational thought and calm discussion — attributed, not demonstrated.

Mohs hardness
5.5–6 about as hard as window glass
Crystal system
Cubic Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄Cl₂
Main sources today
Brazil also Canada, Namibia

Stones described in similar terms: lapis lazuli, pyrite, fluorite, rhodonite, aventurine and labradorite.

Linked in crystal practice with the throat chakra and third eye chakra.

Further along the same lines: tanzanite, amethyst and bloodstone.

Sodalite Crystals: Meaning, Hardness and Origins

Properties

Composition Sodium aluminum silicate chloride (Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄Cl₂)
Hardness (Mohs) 5.5–6
Crystal system Cubic
Color Royal blue with white veining
Mined in Brazil, Canada, Namibia, Russia

Worth knowing

Often mistaken for lapis lazuli, but sodalite lacks the gold pyrite flecks and runs a flatter, more uniform blue.

History

Identified in Greenland in 1811; popularized after large Canadian deposits were found in 1891.

Buying

Buying Sodalite: fakes, value and treatments

What it is confused with

Lapis lazuli. Sodalite is usually a lighter, more violet blue with white veins and rarely contains pyrite.

What decides the price

Inexpensive; deep, even blue is preferred.

Where it is used

Carvings, beads and decorative stone.

A less familiar fact

Sodalite often glows orange under ultraviolet light, and its hackmanite variety changes color after exposure to sunlight.

Practical

Caring for Sodalite

How to clean it

Warm soapy water, soft cloth. Porous, so avoid soaking.

How to tell it is real

Often sold as lapis lazuli at a lapis price. Sodalite lacks pyrite flecks and runs a flatter, more uniform blue with white veining.

How to store stones so they do not scratch each other →

How hard is Sodalite?

Sodalite is softer than quartz and porous, so it stays out of long soaks, and the white calcite veins that often run through it are softer still. Only Kyanite shares its place on our scale. Among the stones in this reference, the next softer is Turquoise (5–6) and the next harder Opal (5.5–6.5).

Sodalite on the Mohs hardness scale
Sodalite on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10), with the 43 stones of our reference as dots and Sodalite (5.5–6) marked as a bar.Sodalite: Mohs 5.5–6Sodalite 5.5–6Garnet: Mohs 6.5–7.5Amethyst: Mohs 7Citrine: Mohs 7Rose Quartz: Mohs 7Clear Quartz: Mohs 7Smoky Quartz: Mohs 7Aquamarine: Mohs 7.5–8Emerald: Mohs 7.5–8Bloodstone: Mohs 6.5–7Peridot: Mohs 6.5–7Sardonyx: Mohs 6.5–7Zircon: Mohs 6–7.5Carnelian: Mohs 6.5–7Onyx: Mohs 6.5–7Agate: Mohs 6.5–7Tiger's Eye: Mohs 6.5–7Aventurine: Mohs 6.5–7Diamond: Mohs 10Pearl: Mohs 2.5–4.5Alexandrite: Mohs 8.5Moonstone: Mohs 6–6.5Labradorite: Mohs 6–6.5Pyrite: Mohs 6–6.5Ruby: Mohs 9Sapphire: Mohs 9Spinel: Mohs 8Topaz: Mohs 8Opal: Mohs 5.5–6.5Rhodonite: Mohs 5.5–6.5Tourmaline: Mohs 7–7.5Turquoise: Mohs 5–6Lapis Lazuli: Mohs 5–6Hematite: Mohs 5–6Tanzanite: Mohs 6–7Jade: Mohs 6–7Obsidian: Mohs 5–5.5Malachite: Mohs 3.5–4Amber: Mohs 2–2.5Selenite: Mohs 2Fluorite: Mohs 4Sodalite: Mohs 5.5–6Kyanite: Mohs 4.5–7Lepidolite: Mohs 2.5–31Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5window glass 5.5household dust (quartz) 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com
Sodalite on the Mohs hardness scaleMohs scale from talc (1) to diamond (10), with the 43 stones of our reference as dots and Sodalite (5.5–6) marked as a bar.Sodalite: Mohs 5.5–6Sodalite 5.5–61Talc2Gypsum3Calcite4Fluorite5Apatite6Orthoclase7Quartz8Topaz9Corundum10Diamondfingernail 2.5glass 5.5dust 7Source: Mohs scale minerals · ranges from our 43-stone referenceastrohot.com

Sodalite, at 5.5–6, is harder than 10 of the other 42 stones here and softer than 31.

Traditional associations

Sodalite is traditionally associated with rational thought and calm discussion. Chakra in crystal practice: Third Eye, Throat. Element: Air.

What is measured here and what is tradition →

Questions about Sodalite

What is Sodalite made of?

Sodium aluminum silicate chloride (Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄Cl₂), crystallizing in the cubic system.

Where does Sodalite come from?

Brazil, Canada, Namibia, Russia.

Can Sodalite be worn every day?

With care. At 5.5–6 on the Mohs scale it can be worn often, but watch out for soaking, because it is porous.

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Cite this page

AstroHot. “Sodalite Crystals: Meaning, Hardness and Origins.” Accessed October 28, 2026. https://astrohot.com/crystals/gemstones/sodalite/

For Wikipedia {{cite web |title=Sodalite Crystals: Meaning, Hardness and Origins |url=https://astrohot.com/crystals/gemstones/sodalite/ |website=AstroHot |access-date=2026-10-28}}