Sodalite Vs. Lapis Lazuli: What’s The Difference?

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It takes a qualified eye and expertise in crystals and stones to distinguish between stones that look so similar. Purple sapphire, for instance, can be easily mistaken for rhodolite garnet.

So, you might receive the latter even though you were aiming for the former. However, the combination of sodalite vs. lapis lazuli may be the most confusing.

The two stones, lapis lazuli, and sodalite have many characteristics—particularly their healing properties. Because of this, many people have trouble distinguishing between lapis lazuli vs. sodalite healing properties.

However, if we stop and think about each for a while, we’ll begin to recognize important distinctions. One fast way to tell them apart is to observe if the stones you’re comparing all have the same polish or treatment.

Table of Contents

What Is Sodalite?

Since sodalite is a rock-forming and opaque mineral, it is also used to construct rocks. Colors of purple and blue are interspersed with white calcite. The meaning of the mineral sodalite is related to expression and poetry.

Afghanistan, Brazil, Greenland, Arkansas, Canada, and the United States have sodalite deposits. Sodalite comes in a wide range of colors, the most frequent of which is blue, although other typical colors include grey, green, yellow, pale red, and lavender.

Except for hackmanite, sodalite glows orange when exposed to ultraviolet light. Instead of photosynthesis, this variety exhibits tenebrescence, changing to a darker, more saturated hue when exposed to UV light.

Although not as old as lapis lazuli or blue lace agate, sodalite possesses powerful therapeutic properties. Sodalite is commonly mistaken for lapis lazuli due to its intense dark blue color; however, its distinctive white veins that run through its center reveal its true identity.

Sodalite Meaning And Healing Properties

Sodalite is very beneficial for increasing strength and stamina. In addition, as a stone associated with the throat chakra, it is beneficial for improving one’s ability to express oneself.

The throat chakra is associated with sodalite and ties to the heart and the third eye. A very spiritual stone, it encourages its wearer to deepen their bonds with the world so that they may feel the earth’s gravitational pull even as they raise their gaze to the stars.

The sodalite stone can help you find emotional well-being through reason, truth, and inner calm. Being a heart chakra stone, persons who wear sodalite can benefit from its soothing energy.

Find more about Sodalite meaning and healing properties.

What Is Lapis Lazuli?

In the world of rocks, lapis lazuli is a metamorphic rock. Lazurite, sodalite, calcite, and pyrite comprise the rest of the composition. The fact that lapis lazuli can be found in a variety of deep blue and purple tones also plays a role in the stone’s etymology.

In ancient Egyptian art and literature, lapis lazuli, known as “the wisdom stone,” frequently depicts the possession of pharaohs, monarchs, and goddesses. In ancient times, it was not only worn as jewelry but also crushed and used to make cosmetics and potions.

Lapis Lazuli Meaning And Healing Properties

Lapis lazuli is the embodiment of all that we enjoy about the magical world of healing crystals; it has a name that twirls on the tongue, a rich history with monarchy and artists, and a beautiful deep blue shade that leaves eyes open in awe. The starry sky was claimed to have shrunk into a priceless diamond in Persian legend and throughout the ancient beaches of south America, with the stone possibly already storing all the wisdom of the universe.

Lapis lazuli’s color is the initial thing that catches the eye, as its name translates to “blue stone” in the archaic language of Latin. So it’s easy to see why renaissance painters were so enamored with this exotic, poetic color—a deep blue that shimmers with gold flecks and violet undertones.

Find more about Lapis Lazuli meaning and healing properties.

How To Tell The Difference Between Sodalite And Lapis Lazuli?

Both sodalite and lapis lazuli are blue stones with a veinlike pattern. Because of this similarity, it isn’t easy to distinguish between the two based solely on appearance.

They may look similar, but significant variances in construction and operation exist. So let’s dig deeper into differentiating lapis lazuli from sodalite.

Composition

Both have an isometric crystalline form, as predicted by their mineral compositions, which identify them as sodium aluminum silicates. White calcite, a component of lapis lazuli and sodalite, accounts for the brightness of the photos.

The pyrite inclusions in lapis lazuli give the stone its distinctive metallic gold sheen. It is easy to spot the pyrite in some lapis lazuli, as in the place in the previous shot.

Color

Lapis lazuli and sodalite are, at first glance, very similar. This has thrown off many people interested in crystals.

Both stones are blue, each with different white patterns or veins. Because of their shared mineral structure, most individuals cannot tell them apart.

If you look closely, you’ll see that sodalite has a deeper hue. The tone is dark and mysterious, in contrast to the bright royal blue of lapis lazuli.

Pattern

Lapis lazuli also stands out from sardonyx because it often contains tiny flecks of gold. When you learn to look for them, the pyrite specks in the sodalite will stand out as a noticeable difference.

However, there are situations in which these gold flecks might go unnoticed. For example, raw stones rarely have them because they aren’t formed.

Both stones are composed of white calcite, but sodalite also includes white veins running through its structure.

Hardness

The resistance of a material (like gemstones) to being bent or shaped is what we call its hardness. And it is a crucial consideration when assessing the value of gems and crystals.

On the Mohs scale, sodalite ranks between 5.5 and 6. However, due to its composition of three different minerals, lapis lazuli’s hardness may vary from 3 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale.

Value

Lapis lazuli is the more valuable gemstone due to its historical significance. Since doing so yields more income, many people pass off sodalite as lapis lazuli.