Brazil Sodalite Beads

Our home state of Michigan is firmly team ‘Pop’ in the American soft drink debates, but we at Lima Beads are comfortable calling this gorgeous blue stone by its true name - SODAlite. Brazil Sodalite gemstone beads are a distinctive type of sodalite. Their unique blue and white speckled appearance reminds us of the famous Blue Willow china pattern. Known for thousands of years to Indigenous Peoples in South America, Sodalite didn't become popular worldwide until the late 1800’s when a large deposit was discovered in Ontario, Canada. Princess Patricia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, chose Sodalite as interior decoration for Marlborough House in England after a visit to Ontario. Because of her influence, an alternative name for this beautiful gemstone is Princess Blue.

Sodalite was named for its sodium content, not for sugary drinks. It is a member of the feldspathoid mineral family. Sodalite stones can vary in color, but those used in jewelry are shades of royal blue with white inclusions. Sodalite and lapis lazuli are often confused, but sodalite has no pyrite inclusions. Sodalite is often a component of lapis lazuli. While sodalite can be found in many locales around the world, this variety is mined in Brazil.

Sodalite is said to promote intuition, and encourage decisiveness and rationality.