The stone was discovered in the 19th century in Greenland and became widely known as it was used in the decoration of Marlborough House in London. It is considered an excellent stone for the spirit and a symbol of harmony.
The name sodalite/sodalite comes from its high sodium carbonate (soda ash) content.
Sodalite was discovered in 1806; it was analysed and described in 1811 by the Scottish physician and mineralogist Thomas Thomson (1773-1852) from samples of the stone taken from Greenland. It became famous in 1891 when King George V's wife, Mary de Teck (1867-1952), visiting a sodalite mine in Ontario, Canada, decided to decorate the new palace in Marlboro, England, with this new material, making it famous.
The stone is used both in jewellery making - worked into various types of cuts: cabochons, beads, etc. - and in art making - micro-sculpture.
Sodalite is an excellent stone for the spirit; it encourages logic, objectivity as well as intuitive perception at the same time as the expression of emotions. It acts as a reinforcer of self-respect, self-acceptance and self-confidence. It stimulates the immune system, helps with problems of the vocal cords and the larynx as well as in the fight against insomnia.
It belongs to the Silicate Minerals in the group Tectosilicate (feldspar) and the cubic crystal system. It is an opaque mineral with a deep blue colour. Sources of sodalite are found in Brazil (Bahia), Canada, Canada, the United States, Greenland, India, Pakistan, Portugal, and Russia.
