How to clean it
Warm soapy water, soft cloth. Porous, so avoid soaking.
Royal blue with white veining
Sodalite
Properties
Composition
Sodium aluminium silicate chloride (Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄Cl₂)
Hardness (Mohs)
5.5–6
Crystal system
Cubic
Colour
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; popularised after large Canadian deposits were found in 1891.
Practical
Caring for Sodalite
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.
One general rule covers most mistakes: never store stones loose together. Diamond at 10 on the Mohs scale scratches everything else you own, and it does not need much contact to do it.
What that hardness means in practice
Softer than household dust. Better in earrings or a pendant than in a ring, where it takes constant knocks.
Traditional associations
Sodalite is traditionally associated with rational thought and calm discussion. In chakra systems it is placed at the Third Eye, Throat, and in elemental correspondence it is assigned to Air.
These are cultural associations recorded across various traditions, not claims about physical effects. The composition and hardness above are measurable; this paragraph is folklore, and worth reading as such.
Questions
What is Sodalite made of?
Sodium aluminium silicate chloride (Na₈Al₆Si₆O₂₄Cl₂), crystallising in the cubic system.
Where does Sodalite come from?
Brazil, Canada, Namibia, Russia.
How do I clean Sodalite?
Warm soapy water, soft cloth. Porous, so avoid soaking.
How can I tell if Sodalite 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.
Can I wear it every day?
At 5.5–6 on the Mohs scale, not in a ring. Keep it to pieces that take fewer knocks.