Scientific Name: Sodium aluminum silicate choloride mineral
Group: Silicates – tectosilicates
Chemical composition: Na4Al3Si3O12Cl
Colors: Blue, white, gray, multicolored.
Hardness: 5.5 to 6
Formation: Cubic crystals; Massive form
Principal Sources: Canada,, Russia; Germany, India; Maine, New Hampshire, Arkansas.
Special Notes: Sodalite is a rich royal blue mineral widely enjoyed as an ornamental gemstone since a large discovery was made in Canada in 1981. It is named its high sodium content. Although similar to lapis lazuli, sodalite is a royal blue rather than ultramarine. Sodalite also rarely contains pyrite, a common inclusion in lapis, and instead has white inclusions.