LABRADORITE

LABRADORITE	Labradorescence
Major Sources	China, Finland, India & Madagascar
Colors Found	Colorless, orange, red, smoke gray & yellow
Family	Feldspar: (Na,Ca)AlSi3O8
Hardness	6 to 6.5
Refractive Index	1.55–1.57; Biaxial (+)
Specific Gravity	2.65–2.75
Crystal System	Triclinic
Enhancements	May be enhanced

Labradorite is named after the Labrador peninsula in Canada where it was discovered. Displaying brilliant pastels and deep golden colors, it even includes varieties colloquially known as “black rainbow,” which feature a spellbinding play of color. Labradorite is a stunning gemstone perfect for wardrobes in all seasons.

Legends and lore

Calling it firestone because of its captivating play of color, the Native Americans of Labrador attributed mystical qualities to labradorite, using the powdered gem as a magical potion to cure their ailments.

Interestingly, some modern mystics believe that labradorite is a gem that assists the practice of magic, unleashes the power of the imagination and helps to overcome personal limitations.

Just the facts

Labradorite is a sodium-rich variety of plagioclase feldspar. While transparent labradorite is relatively free from inclusions and appears red, orange, yellow or colorless, the smoke grey varieties that show a rainbow-like color effect or “iridescence” are most frequently used in jewelry.

Valued for its lustrous metallic reflections (called schiller) that are said to resemble a butterfly’s wing, this iridescence is aptly called labradorescence by gemologists and appears as stunning rainbow-colored reflections when light strikes the gem in a particular direction. Mainly caused by the interference of light from lattice distortions, cracks or structural layers breaking up light into spectral colors, this effect often appears in violet, blue, green, yellow, gold and even reddish orange tints. Spectrolite, an extremely rare variety found previously only in Finland, but now also mined in India, can even display the complete color spectrum.

When appreciating the play of color in labradorite, observe the strength and intensity of the labradorescence when the gemstone is viewed from different angles. This may result in different colors being visible or even a range of colors all visible at the same time.