Sodalite (var: Hackmanite)

This Hackmanite gem has a "Cushion" cut and is nearly eye clean in clarity which is fantastic for the material. It's nearly impossible to find completely clean stones unless they are exceptionally small. Sodalite is a fairly well-known feldspathoid mineral, but it's almost always opaque, and gem quality material of any reasonable size is incredibly hard to find in nature. The gem variety of Sodalite is called Hackmanite and this beautiful gem is one of only a handful of faceted Hackmanites that I've had to offer from Afghanistan recently. One of the interesting characteristics of Hackmanite is that it is tenebrescent which is the process by which a mineral changes color after being exposed to ultra-violet light.

This particular stone shows a good fluorescence under SW UV light, which is what causes the tenebresence. In indoor lighting, this gem displays a lovely blue color. The stone fluoresces a soft greenish-yellow hue after being exposed to SW UV light and then will actually fluoresce a creamy orange color after being exposed to LW UV light. Afterwards, you will see that the gem will shift from blue to PURPLE in color. The stone will then return to its original blue color after being exposed to prolonged indoor light. This process is 100% repeatable and in no way hurts the stone. This material is retailing for HIGH numbers now across the board, and you simply can't get your hands on gems with this kind of clarity. Sodalite is a very durable stone and that's why it is so popular among dealers and collectors alike, so you could set this gem into jewelry if you so desired.

Item #HACKAFG017