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Enjoy labradorite's spectacular lusters By Bethany Waldrop Keiper "That golden gleam hath purged my sight, revealing, In the fair ray reflected from above, Thyself, beyond all sight, beyond all feeling, The hidden Beauty, and the hidden Love." -- Augusta Theodosia Drane Labradorite is a new stone in my world, but one that is welcome. Its shine and magnificent colors are such that they seem almost too pretty to be natural in this jaded world. But there is more than beauty here; there's an important life lesson hidden on the surface of this stone. It is that part of the wonder of labradorite that you may miss its spectacular beauty entirely if you don't take the time to view a piece of it from all angles. So to truly appreciate it, like so many other things, you sometimes need to look a little deeper than a quick first impression. Labradorite can be white to blue to a dull dark gray, but when it is turned to the correct angles, colors flash from the surface of this feldspar stone. These flashes are easy to see, but determining the name of them can get a bit confusing. The common name for these flashes of color, which in good specimens of labradorite can be combinations of bright aqua, green, violet, orange, or yellow, is labradorescence. This glow or flash of color is also referred to as schiller, and also sometimes referred to as adularescence. Are you tongue-tied yet? Whatever you call the color phenomenon, it takes beads made from labradorite to another level; they are fascinating. Each bead is different, as each is a study in different shades of gray, patterns of dark lines, and those dancing colors that play just under the surface of the stone. The same is true for carved figures as well as smooth cabochons. Carving the labradorite can be a bit of a challenge as the feldspar stone veers to the hard side of the Mohs scale at 6 - 6.5. Feldspars make up the largest percentage of minerals in the Earth's crust, with their number exceeding that of all the other minerals combined. The word feldspar comes from the German word for field. Rocky fields near mountainous areas are likely good places to find rocks in the feldspar group. Most feldspars belong into one of two different groups, based on their composition: the alkali feldspars and the plagioclase feldspars. Labradorite is a member of the plagioclase series, along with sunstone, moonstone and albite. The name labrador makes me think of large, extremely enthusiastic dogs. But Labrador is a province in Canada where specimens of labradorite with extremely beautiful schiller are found. Prior to 1000 A.D., there is evidence that people living around Maine, U.S., were using the stone as a decoration and perhaps for mystical purposes -- how could a rock that seemed to contain the sky and the sun not seem magical in some way? Much later, in 1770 A.D., missionaries in Labrador found the stone and gave it its current name. In the legendary realm, Eskimos once told that the great Northern Lights of the sky had been held prisoner in the stones on Labrador's coast until a warrior struck them with a strong blow from his mighty spear, freeing most of them. Some did not find their freedom, and stayed in the rocks to be these shining stones full of light. Canada is not the only place to find Labradorite; it is scattered across the globe in the mix with other feldspars. Other locations for it are India, Scandinavia, Russia, Africa, Finland, Madagascar and the United States. Learning about the locations for Labradorite means learning about specific colors and names for the stone. And with this comes a little confusion. Some sources call any labradorite with a high degree of labradorescence or schiller the name spectrolite. Others say spectrolite is a blue semi-transparent variety of labradorite that is only found in Finland. Or only in Finland and India. Or that spectrolite is any iridescent labradorite with spectral hues. Another location-based name for labradorite that is very misleading is rainbow moonstone. It is an attractive name, and is used to promote the multicolored labradorite specimens from Madagascar. But these stones are in fact labradorite, and shouldn't be marketed as moonstone, especially to those seeking stones for metaphysical purposes. Oregon-based labradorite has a red, green, blue and orange schiller, and is often called Heliolite. I only wade through these names and lead you down this confusing path to help if you should choose to purchase the stone, so you will know what to ask for, to make sure what you are getting! Labradorite itself is said to bring clarity, providing the ability to look past illusions and see the actual substance of dreams and goals, and bring strength to intuition. Traditionally, it is thought of as a stone of good luck. It is also believed to increase patience, in which case I need a boulder of it! Common uses of labradorite are to bring clarity to meditation, boost the imagination and stimulate enthusiasm.
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