Sodalite
Sodalite is a rich royal blue tectosilicate mineral widely used as an ornamental gemstone. Although massive sodalite samples are opaque, crystals are usually transparent to translucent. Sodalite is a member of the sodalite group with hauyne, nosean, lazurite and tugtupite.
First discovered by Europeans in 1811 in the Ilimaussaq intrusive complex in Greenland, sodalite did not become important as an ornamental stone until 1891 when vast deposits of fine material were discovered in Ontario, Canada.
Its formula is: Na8(Al6Si6O24)Cl2
A light, relatively hard yet fragile mineral, sodalite is named after its sodium content; in mineralogy it may be classed as a feldspathoid. Well known for its blue color, sodalite may also be grey, yellow, green, or pink and is often mottled with white veins or patches. The more uniformly blue material is used in jewellery, where it is fashioned into cabochons and beads.
Most sodalite will fluoresce orange under ultraviolet light, and hackmanite exhibits tenebrescence.
What is the difference between Sodalite and Lapis Lazuli ?
One of the differences between sodalite and lapis lazuli is that sodalite rarely contains any pyrite which will typically be in lapis. Another difference is sodalite is a different color of blue, royal blue to be exact, where lapis lazuli has an ultramarine color…
Sodalite and lapis lazuli do not have the same streak. The streak of sodalite is white, while the streak of lapis lazuli is light blue. Additionally, sodalite will be far more available than that of lapis lazuli. Sodalite has been given the nick name “poor man’s lapis” due to its greater abundance keeping it a cheaper alternative to lapis lazuli. Many will purchase the cheaper sodalite as they see the color as similar in both the minerals, and take the less expensive choice.
Lapis and Sodalite
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