Gems TV

LABRADORITE

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

Legends and lore

Calling it “firestone” because of its captivating play of colour, 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 colourless, the smoke grey varieties that show a rainbow-like colour effect or “iridescence” are most frequently used in jewellery.

Valued for its lustrous metallic reflections (called schiller) that are said to resemble a butterfly’s wing, this iridescence is aptly called “labradorescence” by gemmologists and appears as stunning rainbow coloured 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 colours, 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 colour spectrum.

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