If you have ever picked up a deep blue stone and wondered whether it was lapis lazuli, the answer is very often sodalite. The two are easy to confuse and genuinely related — sodalite is one of the minerals that makes up lapis. Here is how to tell them apart:

• Composition: Sodalite is a single mineral, a sodium aluminum silicate chloride. Lapis lazuli is a rock of several minerals — lazurite, calcite and pyrite — and sodalite is one of its relatives.
• White Calcite Veining: This is sodalite’s signature. Prominent white and gray streaks run through the blue like marble. In fine lapis that white is considered a flaw; in sodalite it is the whole character.
• No Golden Flecks: Sodalite almost never contains pyrite. If you see shimmering gold specks, you are holding lapis.
• Color Tone: Sodalite runs darker and cooler — a denim or navy blue, often with a soft violet undertone. Lapis is a richer royal or cobalt.
• Rarity and Cost: Sodalite was only identified in 1811, is found in far greater quantity, and costs a fraction of what lapis does. That accessibility is a gift, not a shortcoming.

 A Journey Through History

• A Recent Discovery: Sodalite was first identified in Greenland in 1811 and named for its sodium content. Compared with lapis — traded for six thousand years — it is a newcomer to the world’s jewelry boxes.
• The Ontario Deposits: In 1891 enormous deposits were found near Bancroft, Ontario. The stone was chosen for a royal residence not long after, and the finest Canadian material has been known as Princess Blue ever since.
• A Sculptor’s Stone: Because it occurs in large workable masses rather than small nodules, sodalite has been carved into bowls, tiles and architectural panels — something lapis is far too precious to allow.

How to Style Sodalite

Sodalite’s marbling means every bead carries a different arrangement of white through blue. It reads as calm rather than loud:

• Everyday Elegance: A sodalite strand against gray, camel or white lets the blue do the work without shouting. This is the stone for days when you want jewelry, not a statement.
• Cool Metals: Silver suits sodalite better than gold. The cool metal holds the blue at true navy, where warm metal can pull it toward purple.
• Layering: Pair sodalite with white howlite, hematite or clear crystal. The white in the stone will pick up whatever pale companion you give it.

Sodalite proves a stone does not need to be rare to be beautiful. It has all the depth of a far more expensive blue, and enough marbling that no two pieces are ever quite the same.

With love,

Janette Marie 🧡

Care Tips

To maintain the beauty of your pieces:

• Store Properly: Keep them in a jewelry box to avoid tangling.
• Clean Gently: Use a soft cloth to wipe away dirt and oils, especially if adorned with gemstones.
• Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Keep them away from perfumes and lotions to prevent tarnishing.