Hackmanite is a sodalite that changes color with light. It can go from creamy white to violet in the sun and fade back in the dark. It's a natural effect, not a dye.
Feldspathoid · Sodalite
Hackmanite
Hackmanita
- Palette
- White Purple Pink
- Mined in
- Canada, Greenland, Afghanistan, Myanmar
- Hardness
- Mohs 5.5–6.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- late 19th century
- Named for
- Victor Axel Hackman (1866-1941), Finnish geologist
- Also sold as
- tenebrescent sodalite
- Intention
- New Beginnings Calm
- Looking for
- Change and decisions Communication
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Hackmanite beads are usually sold natural, and sodalite is only rarely dyed.
Not in our pieces now
TENEBRESCENCE
Afghan and Myanmar hackmanite starts creamy white, turns violet to pink-red in sunlight, and fades again in the dark.
LINUS PAULING
Linus Pauling first worked out the structure of sodalite, the mineral family hackmanite belongs to, in 1930.
What it is
Hackmanite is a variety of sodalite that changes color with light, a reversible effect called tenebrescence. Material from Afghanistan and Myanmar starts creamy white and turns violet to pinkish red in sunlight, then fades back in the dark.
What gives it its color
Sodalite's blue comes from tiny clusters of sulfur trapped in the crystal, and hackmanite is the sulfur-rich form that changes color: it can start cream white and turn violet to pink-red in sunlight, then fade back in the dark.
Where it comes from
The best-known source of hackmanite is Sar-e-Sang in the Kokcha Valley of Afghanistan, with others in Myanmar, Mont Saint-Hilaire in Quebec and Ilimaussaq in Greenland.
In history
Hackmanite is a color-changing variety of sodalite. Europeans first found sodalite in 1811 in the Ilimaussaq complex of Greenland, and large deposits found in Ontario in 1891 made it a widely used ornamental stone. The Caral culture of ancient Peru traded for sodalite from the Andean highlands.
What's said about it
Hackmanite has little lore of its own, so sodalite is the nearest guide. In crystal lore, sodalite is the stone of truth and trust.
People who like hackmanite tend to like it as a curiosity, a stone that looks different from hour to hour. It's kept as a pocket piece or a small display stone.
How people wear or keep it: In a pocket, on a desk, or in a small display dish.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, hackmanite is paired with the crown chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: in a pocket, on a desk, in a small display dish. People reach for it when they want change and decisions, communication, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraCrown
ZodiacScorpio
ElementAir
Also calledtenebrescent sodalite
Care
- Moderate hardness: it can scratch against harder stones, so keep it in its own pouch.
- The color change is the point of the stone, so expect it to look different in sun and in the dark; very bright light or long storage in the dark will change how it looks.
- Wipe with a soft, dry cloth. Skip soaking, ultrasonic cleaners and harsh cleaners.
- Natural pieces can have cleavage lines, so avoid knocks and drops.
How to tell what you have
- Hackmanite is the pink-to-violet variety of sodalite that changes color: it darkens in sunlight or UV light and fades back in the dark.
- Plain blue sodalite is often confused with lapis lazuli; sodalite has a white streak and little or no gold-colored pyrite.
Questions people ask at our table
What is hackmanite?
It is a variety of sodalite, the blue stone we do carry, that shows tenebrescence. That means its color shifts with light and fades back in the dark.
Does the color change last?
The change is reversible, so it repeats. How strong it is depends on where the stone came from, and some pieces fade within minutes while others hold their color longer.
Is it dyed or artificially colored?
No. The color change is a natural property of the mineral, though dealers sometimes use ultraviolet light to show it off. Be wary of any piece sold as hackmanite that never changes.
Where is it from?
Mainly Mont-Saint-Hilaire in Quebec and Greenland, with a differently behaving material from Afghanistan and Myanmar.
Do you carry hackmanite?
No. Sodalite is the stone we carry from the same mineral family, and lepidolite and amethyst give a nearby violet look.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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