Sodalite is a very pretty mineral that is quite popular as a semiprecious gemstone. It is often mistaken for Lapis Lazuli because of its similar color, and is in fact one of the components of Lapis, which is a rock, not a single mineral. One way to distinguish the two is that Lapis often displays pyrite crystals spread throughout, and sodalite does not.

Sodalite is generally pretty inexpensive. I purchased the above chunk of rough sodalite for around 4 dollars, and it weighs about 2 or 3 pounds. It cut beautiful stones, some of which are found below. Sodalite is not all blue, but most sodalite used for jewelry is. Sodalite if found in Canada (Quebec and Ontario), as well as in Arkansas and Maine in the U.S. Various other places around the world have deposits as well.

Because of its relative softness, Sodalite cuts easily. It also takes a nice polish, although many of the stones you may run across in the market seem to lack this nice luster.