My stories of jewelry making, spinning, knitting, and all things fibery.



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Rich Man, Poor Man...but not really.

Two fabulous stones that many people often confuse are Lapis Lazuli and Sodalite.  Lapis is a deep rich sapphire blue, speckled with tiny sparkling golden pyrite (fool's gold) inclusions.  It is a somewhat rare semi- precious gemstone and top quality specimens can bring upwards of $100 per carat.  Since ancient times it has been mined almost exclusively in Afghanistan, but today deposits can be found in Siberia, India, Chile and here in the US in Colorado and California.

Sodalite is a very similar blue shade, less intense and with out the glittery pizzaz.  Most often it is found mottled with white mineral streaks.  The darkest, most consistantly blue stones are the most sought after for jewelry.  Abundantly found in Canada and British Columbia as well as in Arkansas, Sodalite is relatively inexpensive.

In my jewelry making opinion each of these beauties hold completely different attributes, far removed from their wide ranging costs.  Sodalite is a light hearted, carefree and casual stone that can easily be worn everyday.  It reminds me of demin fabric.  Lapis Lazuli is BOLD, extravagant and always commands all the attention.  I have used these two together and mixed with other stones as you can see.
Both Sodalite and Lapis pieces always sell out very quickly!

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