Sugilite Meaning
Some gemstones look good enough to eat. Sugilite looks closer to a delicious gummy candy than a rare gemstone. With ethereal purple coloring described as “grape jelly purple” by the International Gem Society, sugilite is a showstopping gem known for its ornamental properties. We’ve known about sugilite for less than 100 years, but that hasn’t stopped us from falling in love with this lustrous stone. Keep reading to learn more about sugilite’s healing properties, how to spot fake sugilite, and why this stone could make the perfect gift for any Virgos in your life.
What Is Sugilite?
While sugilite may look delicious, it’s a relatively hard stone ranging from 5.5 to 6.5 on the RIS hardness scale. Most known for its violet cast, sugilite colors range from light brown and yellow to violet. A member of the cyclosilicate group, sugilite is composed of potassium, sodium, lithium ferric iron silicate. The crystal facets are hexagonal, while the stone’s luster ranges from vitreous to silky.
Origin And History Of Sugilite
Professor Ken-Ichi Sugi first discovered Sugilite in 1944 in Southwestern Japan. The stone is named after the Japanese Petrologist. When Sugi discovered the stone, the small deposits were yellow. Japanese Sugilite is known for its ochre to golden hue.
Sugilite is also known as “cybelene” after the Greek myth of Cybele and Attis. In Greek mythology, Attis’ blood produced the first violets. Sugilite is also closely connected to violets.
Deposits of purple sugilite were first found in South Africa in 1979. The discovery itself was an accident. Large quantities of purple sugilite were revealed after the roof of a manganese mine caved in during construction. An interaction between sugilite and manganese stones produces the purple hue of South African sugilite. Most of the South African sugilite is not available for commercial use because it remains 3,200 feet underground.
Sugilite can be found worldwide throughout Canada, Australia, Italy, and India.
Commercial Uses
Sugilite is most popular in Asian gem markets. The stone’s tough nature and dazzling color scheme make it a highly prized decorative stone. Sugilite can be carved into ornamental statues, and it can also be used for jewelry with protective measures in place. Gem-quality sugilite has only been mined since the eighties. While sugilite remains a favorite stone among gemstones and crystal enthusiasts, it has yet to make a splash on the commercial market outside of Asia.
Certain types of sugilite, such as translucent sugilite, are incredibly rare, with translucent sugilite deposits totaling .01 percent of sugilite worldwide.
While this gemstone is relatively rare, that hasn’t stopped sugilite from making a splash throughout popular culture. Sugilite is a character in the children’s cartoon Steven Universe. Sugilite is voiced by American rapper Nicki Minaj.
Spotting Fake Sugilite
The relative rarity and high commercial value of sugilite mean that the stone is rife for counterfeiting. An easy way to spot a fake is to consider the stone’s luster. Sugilite is known for its luminous quality, which is difficult to replicate. Fake sugilite often lacks the signature shine. Another visual tell is the presence of black veins in the stone, which never occurs in genuine sugilite.
Since sugilite is a rare gemstone, the price will reflect that, which means you may end up paying substantially more for a piece of sugilite than you would for a more common crystal such as quartz. If someone tries to sell you sugilite for cheap, be wary. Low prices often indicate fake stones.
Physical And Mental Healing Properties
Physically speaking, sugilite is a soothing stone known for its ability to decrease stress and anxiety. The lush facets of sugilite can offer crystal enthusiasts not only a sense of calm but also protection against negative energies. The manganese compounds found in sugilite can also help alleviate headaches and migraines.
Sugilite can also be used as a conduit for those who wish to experience lucid dreaming. To harness the power of sugilite for lucid dreaming, allcrystal.com suggests: “The best way to activate Sugilite for lucid dreaming and spirit communication is by soaking it overnight in Full Moon energies. You can wear or sleep with Sugilite under the pillow after this. “
Emotionally, the gentle qualities of sugilite can help facilitate a sense of forgiveness and peace, allowing practitioners the space to free themselves of emotional burdens. According to Fire Mountain Gems, “To metaphysical adherents, sugilite is a stone of forgiveness and instills the deep satisfaction of all-abiding freedom.”
Sugilite can be used to aid in personal development, as it's said to aid practitioners as they seek enlightenment.
In Roman mythology, the goddess Cybele, who is often associated with sugilite, is considered the great mother of the gods. She’s associated with nature and agriculture while being worshipped alongside the fertility god Attis, who produced the first violets. This all-encompassing maternal energy is present in sugilite. At its core, sugilite is a stone best used for convening and cultivating.
Sugilite is also connected to the Roman goddess Juno, the goddess of women, and Minerva, the Greek goddess of protection.
Due to its violet hue, sugilite is also associated with the flower of the same name. During the Victorian era, floriography, or the study of flowers and their meanings, gained popularity among aristocrats. Violets were said to represent modesty, while others reported that violets represented abundance and true love.
Some practitioners believe that sugilite acts best as a conduit for the universal love that surrounds us all. Others use sugilite as a protective stone. One way to harness sugilite’s protective powers is to bury sugilite in four corners of your house.
People who suffer from anxiety may find it soothing to rub one of the many facets of sugilite as a grounding technique. Sugilite can also encourage practitioners to practice self-compassion during hard times, as well as cultivate a sense of resilience during hardship. Sugilite also encourages empathy toward the suffering of others, asking practitioners to extend grace to those around them and practice tolerance of emotional and physical discomfort.
While some crystals are too soft to withstand the everyday wear and tear that comes along with being worn, sugilite is a sturdy stone. If you want to wear sugilite to harness its healing properties, experts recommend keeping sugilite close to your chest with a necklace or near your wrist as a bracelet. Wearing crystals and gemstones on your wrist can help amplify positive energy, according to writer and blogger Ashlina Kaposta. Kaposta writes, “Wearing a crystal bracelet can help you connect with the energy of the crystal, which can help with physical, emotional, and spiritual healing.”
You should wear sugilite on your left hand to help amplify the power of your intentions.
Sugilite can also be an excellent grounding mechanism for meditation practice. Sugilite abounds with potent healing properties. Writer Ana Crystal of Mycrystals.com expands, “This crystal is among the most influential gems of the purple fire class, which might explain why it is regarded as such a potent healer. If you can't meditate with Sugilite accessories, an unpolished fragment or a shattered crystal will suffice.” Meditation as a practice can help us connect with the energy of the universe. Holding a crystal such as sugilite as you meditate can help you tap into the energy of the cosmos.
Sugilite Chakra
The chakras are unique energy centers located along the human body. Seven main chakras are stacked along the spine.
Sugilite is connected to the crown chakra, also known as Sahasrara. Both are represented by the color violet. The crown chakra is the seventh energy center. It sits at the top of the head. Contributing writer at Yoga Journal, Stephenie Snyder, explains, “Sahasrara” means “thousand-petaled” and represents a thousand-petaled lotus flower.”
The crown chakra is associated with our spiritual lives, our path to enlightenment, and the universal consciousness. Much like sugilite, which is associated with the collective consciousness. Working with our crown chakra helps us tap into the universal life force and craft our own path to enlightenment. The crown chakra is all about pushing our limits of understanding, asking us to contemplate the cosmic qualities of the world around us. It asks us not only to consider what we understand but the areas of our lives where we are seeking clarity and guidance. Since it’s connected to the crown chakra, sugilite can also help practitioners harness their intuition and hone their psychic abilities.
Physical symptoms of a blocked crown chakra include loss of coordination and balance issues. Mental symptoms of a blocked crown chakra include feelings of loneliness, sluggishness or malaise, or feelings of purposelessness.
A victim mentality is a classic psychic symptom of a blocked crown chakra. Another symptom of a blocked crown chakra is excessive spiritual practices, such as excessive meditation. While meditation can be a great way to clear the mind, meditating excessively can lead to an increase in anxiety and panic attacks. Like anything, it’s important to practice meditation in moderation.
There are several yoga asanas that are tailored to help clear a blocked crown chakra. You can also clear a blocked crown chakra through different breathing techniques, such as Nadi Shodhan, which incorporates breathing through alternating nostrils to decrease stress.
Sugilite Zodiac Signs
Though it’s not a traditional birthstone, sugilite is most often associated with the zodiac sign of Virgo (August 23-September 22). Virgo’s are the sweethearts of the zodiac, grounded and serene, Virgo’s find joy in organization and curating their home space. Virgo finds solace in logic; they’re the friend who is most likely to buy a day planner for the coming year in November. They also find great joy in caring for their loved ones and the people around them. But sometimes, Virgos can cling to their routines too heavily and find themselves unable to deviate from plans. A Virgo could benefit from the freeing properties of sugilite, which allows practitioners to open their minds and connect with their higher consciousness.
Virgos are rather emotional for earth signs; they sometimes give in to people-pleasing tendencies. This desire to be liked can sometimes be debilitating. Sugilite is a conduit for forgiveness, and Virgo could learn a thing or two about letting things go from the stone.
Virgos express their affection through caretaking, making them a perfect match for nurturing sugilite.
The sister sign of Virgo is Pisces (February 19-March 20). Sister signs occur exactly six months after each other, meaning they complement each other and can subsequently benefit from similar self-care or spiritual practices.
Pisces are dreamy and compassionate. They’ll enjoy the free-spirited qualities of sugilite. But their dream-chaser qualities mean that Pisces can also struggle to stay grounded and could benefit from a meditation practice incorporating crystals as a grounding mechanism.
Pisceans also mesh well with the imaginative capacity of sugilite.
When discussing sugilite and the zodiac, it’s important to note that Tauruses may experience negative side effects when working with sugilite, including increases in fatigue. This is because because their ruling planets conflict.
Conclusion
Though it’s a relatively young stone in the scheme of geological time, sugilite has fascinated humankind since its discovery in the 1940s. People are taken by the mystical purple hue and driven to hone their intuition and spiritual practices. With its relative rarity on the gemstone market, it’s important to be on the lookout for fake sugilite, and be willing to sometimes pay a hefty price for this fascinating stone.
To clean sugilite, you can run sugilite beneath warm water for ten seconds. Since sugilite tends to be about a six on the RIS hardness scale, it’s durable enough to withstand being under water for brief periods of time. You can also wash sugilite with soap as long as the soap is fragrance-free. Since it’s a harder stone, sugilite may accumulate dust over time; you can wash sugilite monthly to maintain its shine and keep the stone dust-free.
However you use sugilite, we hope this article will help you find the best practices to harness sugilite's power within your life and home.
