Halite is rock salt, the same mineral as table salt. It's very soft and dissolves in water and humidity, so it isn't made for jewelry. It's kept as a lump, bowl or lamp.
Halide
Halite
Halita
- Palette
- White Pink Blue Clear
- Mined in
- Pakistan, United States, Canada
- Hardness
- Mohs 2.0–2.5 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Ancient Greek hals, salt
- Also sold as
- rock salt, pink Himalayan salt, blue halite
- Intention
- Protection Love
- Looking for
- Clearing negativity Relationships Compassion and empathy
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Halite is sold as the natural mineral. The pink and blue colors come from natural impurities, and no bead-trade disclosure was found on dyeing or coating.
Not in our pieces now
287 KM
The passages of Poland's Wieliczka salt mine run more than 287 kilometers, and visitors see under 2 percent of them.
7 MILLION TONS
The Sifto mine, half a kilometer under Lake Huron in Ontario, produces over 7 million tons of rock salt a year.
800.7 °C
Halite melts at 800.7 °C.
What it is
Halite is the mineral form of table salt: colorless or white when pure, pink, orange or blue when impurities are present. Pink Himalayan salt, as sold for lamps and blocks, is halite from Pakistan.
What gives it its color
Pure halite is colorless or white; pink, blue and other colors come from impurities and flaws in the crystal structure.
Where it comes from
Halite forms where seawater or salt lakes evaporate; well-known sources are the Khewra mine in Pakistan, the Wieliczka mine in Poland, a mine under Lake Huron, Death Valley, and the Nullarbor caves of Australia.
In history
People were making salt at Poiana Slatinei in Romania around 6000 BCE, and Ethiopian salt blocks served as money from the Axumite period into the 20th century. Poland's Wieliczka mine was dug from the 13th century, produced salt until 1996, and holds chapels and statues carved from rock salt by miners.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, blue halite is kept in a room to clear negativity. Pink halite is the one people place where a couple spends time, as a stone for compassion and understanding.
Salt has been traded and prized since ancient times, and the word halite comes from the Greek for salt. Keep it dry, on a shelf or in a bedroom.
How people wear or keep it: In a room you want to keep clear, in the bedroom, or on a dry shelf.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, halite is paired with the heart 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 room you want to keep clear, in the bedroom, on a dry shelf. People reach for it when they want clearing negativity, relationships, compassion and empathy, 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.
ChakraHeart
ZodiacCancer
Also calledrock salt, pink Himalayan salt, blue halite
Care
- It dissolves in water and pulls moisture from the air, so keep it dry and away from humid rooms.
- Very soft: it scratches and chips easily, so it is not made for rings or bracelets.
- Do not soak, rinse or wear it in the shower or at the beach; a damp piece will weep and leave salt residue on metal and fabric.
- Wipe only with a dry cloth and store in a sealed pouch or box.
How to tell what you have
- Halite is the mineral form of table salt, soft (2 to 2-1/2) and water-soluble, so keep it dry.
- Pink Himalayan salt is halite. Colors other than white come from impurities in the crystal.
- It tastes salty.
Questions people ask at our table
What is halite?
It is natural rock salt, the mineral sodium chloride. The pink and blue pieces get their color from impurities in the crystal.
Can I wear halite as jewelry?
We do not recommend it. It is very soft and dissolves in water and even in damp air, so sweat or rain will wear it away.
What is pink Himalayan salt?
It is pink halite mined in Pakistan, sold as blocks, bowls and lamps. It is the same mineral as ordinary rock salt, just colored by trace impurities.
How do I keep it from dissolving?
Keep it dry, out of the bathroom and away from open windows in humid weather. A dry, sealed shelf or box works well.
Do you carry halite?
No. Howlite and rose quartz are the carried stones that give a soft white or pink look and stand up to daily wear.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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