Collection: Sodalite

Sodalite owes its name to the name “soda” meaning “sodium” and “lithos” meaning “stone”. It is literally translated as sodium stone or even salt stone.
Sodalite is a mineral species of the silicate group, subgroup of feldspathoid tectosilicates, composed of aluminum chlorine and sodium silicate. This subgroup has a low silica content. Sodalite is found in igneous rocks and meteorites.

Sodalite is often confused with lapis lazuli, which is a combination of several minerals. Lapis lazuli contains haüyne, sodalite, calcite and pyrite. It should be noted that pyrite is extremely rare in sodalite.

Sodalite occurs as isolated grains in the rock or in massive aggregates, but very rarely as separate crystals. It is most often blue in color with white and black inclusions. Sometimes the stone is colorless, gray, yellow, green, white or red. It is most often opaque and very rarely translucent.

Some sodalites exhibit a phenomenon of reversible tenebrescence or photochromism. In the dark, the stone retains its shine thanks to the phenomenon of phosphorescence. Then it loses its beautiful color. This phenomenon is very random: not all sodalites, coming from the same deposit, have this property.

It has a hardness of between 5.5 and 6 on the Mohs scale. For comparison, the diamond has a duration of 10, the highest on this same scale.

Sodalite was discovered and identified at the beginning of the 19th century. However, the Romans already used sodalite but in a gray or greenish color. This is sodalite from Vesuvius. 17,000 years ago, the volcano “la Somma” collapsed and gave birth to Vesuvius. The lava released by Vesuvius contains sodalite.
Furthermore, archaeological excavations have revealed offerings composed of fragments of sodalite, quartz, figurines dating from 2000 BC in northern Peru. Later (between 1 and 800 AD), remarkable jewelry was found created by the Mochica civilization in gold including sodalite, turquoise and chrysocolla.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Thomas Thomson (1818-1852), a famous Scottish chemist and physician, identified sodalite and gave it his name.

In 1901, Mary, Princess of Wales and wife of George V, during her visit to the World's Fair in Buffalo, fell in admiration of Bancroft sodalite from Canada. 130 tonnes were then sent to England to decorate the princely residence of Marlborough (nowadays: headquarters of the Commonwealth Secretariat).

Since 1961, Bancroft's quarries have been accessible to the public. Each person with a bucket can collect sodalite. The only obligation is to wear closed shoes!

The main deposits are located in Brazil, Namibia, Egypt, etc.

In Lithotherapy, sodalite is a stone which reassures people lacking self-confidence in their abilities. These people no longer have the constant need to prove their worth. This stone soothes them and calms their stress. It gives them serenity, suppresses their tendency to aggressiveness or sarcasm. It gives them much better self-esteem or, on the contrary, humility.

Sodalite is a stone of stability which is suitable for hypersensitive people. It allows them to better control their emotions, reduces anxiety attacks and anxiety. It helps them overcome life's difficulties without panicking. This way, people can calmly analyze the situation and have the appropriate reaction.
Furthermore, sodalite is a stone which accentuates logic and which is particularly suitable for people who love mathematics. It channels thought rationally and generates quality reasoning.

This magnificent blue stone is a stone of openness towards others. It provokes attention, listening and understanding from others. The person becomes empathetic and compassionate. She is sincere and seeks to help her interlocutor.

The rather dark sodalite provides effective protection against harmful influences and people with negative emotions. Sodalite, mostly veined with white, encourages creativity and facilitates group cohesion. It emits calming and relaxing energies into its environment.