RUBYCA Brazil Sodalite Natural Gemstone Beads Sodalite is a rich royal blue tectosilicate mineral widely used as an ornamental gemstone. Although massive sodalite samples are opaque, crystals are usually transparent to translucent. A light, relatively hard yet fragile mineral, sodalite is named after its sodium content. Well known for its blue color, sodalite may also be grey, yellow, green, or pink and is often mottled with white veins or patches. The more uniformly blue material is used in jewellery, where it is fashioned into cabochons and beads. Somewhat similar to lazurite and lapis lazuli, sodalite rarely contains pyrite (a common inclusion in lapis) and its blue color is more like traditional royal blue rather than ultramarine. It is further distinguished from similar minerals by its white (rather than blue) streak.Gemstone Jewelry Care and Cleaning: Gemstones can be cleaned very easily using warm soapy water and a soft brush. Keeping in mind about the stone's hardness and durability, be sure to not use any other objects that are harder than it for scrubbing or cleaning. As with most gemstones, you should not use any household chemicals when caring or cleaning your beads and should avoid any prolonged exposure to extreme of heat as it may cause permanent damage to the gemstone. Your Natural Gemstone Beads should be kept away from other gemstones and jewelry to ensure unnecessary damage or scratching from other harder gemstones.