Judging quality
Turn the piece under a single light source: strong labradorescence should flood the whole face, not just a corner, and appear across a wide viewing angle. Finnish spectrolite shows the broadest color range.
Feldspar
Labradorite
A plagioclase feldspar that hides fire inside dull grey stone. Light striking internal lamellae scatters into blue, gold, green and, in the best pieces, full-spectrum flash.
Care
Cleaves easily along two directions — do not drop. Clean with a damp cloth.
History & lore
Inuit tradition of the Labrador coast holds that the northern lights were trapped in the rock until a warrior freed them with his spear.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Labradorite
- What is Labradorite?
- A plagioclase feldspar that hides fire inside dull grey stone. Light striking internal lamellae scatters into blue, gold, green and, in the best pieces, full-spectrum flash.
- How hard is Labradorite and what is it made of?
- Labradorite is a Feldspar-family mineral with the composition (Ca,Na)(Al,Si)4O8. It crystallizes in the triclinic system and rates 6-6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in grey, blue, gold, green.
- Where does Labradorite come from?
- Notable localities for Labradorite include Madagascar, Finland (spectrolite), Canada (Labrador).
- How do you tell good Labradorite from filler?
- Turn the piece under a single light source: strong labradorescence should flood the whole face, not just a corner, and appear across a wide viewing angle. Finnish spectrolite shows the broadest color range.
- How do you care for Labradorite?
- Cleaves easily along two directions — do not drop. Clean with a damp cloth.
Related stones
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.