Butterfly Crescent Moon and Sodalite in Lapis Lazuli Sodalite Crystal Jewelry Pendant

Reference id: EKyAJbwGTMY 12855

Pendant of a blue sodalite in lapis lazuli crystal in a 925 silver plated setting with crescent moons, a butterfly and 2 rings for the bail.

Measures 2.75 inches long, 1 5/8 inch wide.

Butterflies symbolize hope, love, transformation, rebirth, immortality, conservation, joy, fertility, beauty.

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History Of Lapis Lazuli
Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest opaque gemstones in history--more than 6,500 years! This rich blue stone includes tiny flecks of mica, like a night sky full of stars. Its most well-known source is deep in the mountains of modern Afghanistan.

This stones two-part name comes from two different cultures: lapis is a Latin word meaning "stone," while lazuli comes from the Persian word lazhuward, meaning "blue." It is not an element nor a mineral--it is a rock containing multiple minerals: lazurite, diopside, calcite, pyrite and more.

Biblical scholars believe that references in the Old Testament to "sapphire" actually indicate lapis lazuli, as the sapphire gemstone was not known in the Middle East before the Roman Empire. Beloved by the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Minoans, Chinese, Greeks and up to the Romans, this deep blue stone has been used in the finest of art through the ages. One of the most famous uses of the stone is in the death mask of King Tutankhamen, where it is inlaid, along with turquoise and carnelian, in bright gold. One of his successors, Cleopatra, was known to use ground lapis lazuli as eyeshadow. Marco Polo wrote about the lapis lazuli mines way back in 1271!

In the Middle Ages, painters ground up lapis lazuli to make the deep blue paint called ultramarine--the blue used to paint the robes of Mary of Nazareth on church walls and ceilings like in the Sistine Chapel. Meanwhile, in South America, pre-Columbian cultures such as the Diguita and Inca were carving, trading and warring over lapis lazuli from mines in what are now Argentina and Chile.

Metaphysical and Healing Properties

Inner Truth, Inner Power, Love, Purification, Intuition, Self Confidence, Manifestation, Friendship, Self Awareness, Stress, Peace, Harmony, Truth, Honesty, Compassion, Morality, Objectivity, Clarity, Creativity, Confidence, Immune System, Inflammation, Insomnia, Vertigo, Depression, Respiratory System, Nervous System, Thyroid, Strength, Courage, Wisdom, Intellect, Truth

The Sumerians believed that the spirit of their gods lived within the stone, while the ancient Egyptians saw it as a symbol of the night sky. Since the earliest of times, lapis lazuli has been associated with royalty, strength and courage, wisdom and intellect, friendship and truth.

From antiquity, lapis lazuli has been worn in the belief that it will ward off evil. In ancient Egypt, it was powdered and worn about the eyes to improve eyesight. Today, it is considered by some to be an aid to balancing the brow chakra (which influences vision and hearing). Imbalances of the brow (or blue) chakra are said to cause headaches, anxiety and disorders of the skin.

A stone of protection that may be worn to guard against psychic attacks, Lapis Lazuli quickly releases stress, bringing deep peace.  It brings harmony and deep inner self-knowledge.  Encourages self-awareness, allows self-expression and reveals inner truth, providing qualities of honesty, compassion and morality to the personality.  Stimulates objectivity, clarity and encourages creativity.  Lapis Lazuli assists to confront and speak one’s truth and inspires confidence.  It bonds relationships, aiding in expression of feelings and emotions.

Lapis Lazuli boosts the immune system, purifies blood, lowers blood pressure, cooling and soothing areas of inflammation.  It alleviates insomnia and vertigo, and overcomes depression.Lapis Lazuli benefits the respiratory and nervous systems and the throat, vocal cords, and thyroid, cleanses organs, bone marrow and thymus.

Geological Properties
Lapis lazuli is an intensely blue stone made of a deep blue lazurite, cloudy white calcite, sparkly pyrite and other minerals. This beautiful mixture of textures gives lapis lazuli its characteristic look.
Lapis lazuli is found with limestone or as separate boulders. Stones from what is now modern Afghanistan and Pakistan are still considered to be of the best quality. Argentina also produces a premium deep blue variety. Lapis lazuli is found in the USA and Canada and less intense blue examples are found in Chile and in the former USSR.

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History of Sodalite

For a stone of frequent mistaken identity, sodalite is unimaginatively named for its sodium content. The more poetic "poor mans lapis" is a common nickname for this beautiful blue-and-white mineral. Sodalite and lapis lazuli can be easily mistaken for each other at first glance; however, lapis contains flecks of pyrite that make the two stones differ upon a closer look. To complicate matters, lapis lazuli (which is technically a rock) may sometimes contain sodalite (which is a mineral in itself). Sodalite is sometimes also confused with azurite, dumortierite and lazulite. Additionally, in Canada, sodalite can be referred to as "Princess Blue" because it was found in Ontario in 1891 during the visit of two members of the British Royal Family.

The stone was known across the Americas before its official entry into Western mineralogy, however: around 2,600 BC, the Caral peoples traded for sodalite in what is now Peru, as did the residents of Tiwanaku in modern Bolivia.

Metaphysical and Healing Properties

Intuition, Logic, Truty, Idealism, Rational Thought, Objectivity, Perception, Lymph Nodes, Immune System, Balancing, Saggitarius, Order, Calming, Intuition, Emotional Balance, Panic Attacks, Self Esteem, Self Acceptance, Metabolism, Calcium, Radiation, Cancer, Throat, Vocal Cords, Larynx, Digestion, Fevers, Blood Pressure, Insomnia

Sodalite is sometimes considered a guardian for heroes and heroines, especially those speaking truth to power. Its believed to have the ability to unite logic with intuition and the drive for truth with the rise of idealism. Practitioners have used sodalite to organize the mind, as its said to promote rational thought, objectivity and perception. It is sometimes thought to cleanse lymph nodes and boost the immune system. All these balancing abilities are why sodalite is often used in groups with other stones and among multiple users.

Sodalite is assigned to the throat chakra and to the western astrological sign Sagittarius. In feng shui, it is thought to possess water energy.

Sodalite brings order and calmness to the mind, encourages rational thought, objectivity, truth and intuition, along with verbalization of feelings., brings emotional balance and calms panic attacks, enhances self-esteem, self-acceptance and self-trust, balances the metabolism, boosts the immune system and overcomes calcium deficiencies, combats radiation damage by soaking up electromagnetic smog, treats the throat, vocal cords, larynx and helps with hoarseness and digestive disorders, cools fevers, lowers blood pressure and stimulates the absorption of body fluids, and can also help to prevent insomnia.

Geological Properties

While blue (with white inclusions) is the most common color of sodalite, this stone can also be found in grey, green, yellow, light red and lavender varieties. (The purple variety of sodalite is called Hackmanite.) Sodalite fluoresces orange under ultraviolet light, except for Hackmanite. That variant displays tenebrescence instead, becoming deeper and richer in color after UV exposure (although the effect fades after time).

Sodalite deposits are found in Afghanistan, Brazil, Greenland and Canada, as well as in Maine and Arkansas within the United States.

**Please note that all metaphysical or healing properties listed are collected from various sources. This information is offered as a service and not meant to treat medical conditions.