Sodalite Syenite

Fluorescent sodalite syenite is the UV-reactive glowing stone popularly known as Yooperlite. In daylight it looks like ordinary gray rock, but under longwave UV light (365nm) it lights up with fiery orange and yellow flecks. The glow comes from sodalite crystals scattered through a syenite base rock, and because the sodalite is distributed unevenly, no two beads fluoresce the same way.

Sodalite is a sodium-rich mineral whose fluorescence is caused by trace sulfur in its crystal structure. Syenite is a coarse-grained igneous rock similar to granite but with little or no quartz. Together they form a stone with a Mohs hardness of about 5.5 to 6, durable enough for everyday jewelry with reasonable care.

This type of glowing sodalite was first found on the Lake Superior shores of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in 2017, where it had been carried south by glaciers from the Coldwell Complex in Ontario. Similar fluorescent sodalite syenite is also found in Greenland, Russia's Kola Peninsula, and Norway.

Fluorescent sodalite beads are popular for UV-reactive jewelry, glow bracelets, and statement pieces that reveal a hidden side under a UV flashlight. Metaphysically, the stone is said to reveal hidden truths, dispel negativity, and spark creativity.