All about Labradorite

This little known gemstone was only discovered in the 1770s and was named after the place where it was first found. It has a unique iridescence that can make for beautiful jewellery if cut and set correctly. Also known as spectrolite.

What is Labradorite?Back to top

Labradorite is another form of Feldspar. Dull grey in its natural state, like Moonstones when polished and cut correctly they show a magical iridescent shimmer. Unlike Moonstones, the iridescent schiller of Labradorite can be any colour of the rainbow, or even all of them at once! As it is moved about the play of light off the gemstone appears to shift and shimmer with a 3-dimensional effect. So special is this that it has been given its own name of labradorescence. This magical effect is caused by the layering of manydifferent types of feldspar within the gemstone. This lamellar structure causes the magical interplay of reflection, refraction and diffraction responsible for the beautiful lightshow.

Labradorite is usually cut and polished into cabochons (smooth, unfaceted gemstones) to make the most of their labradorescence. It takes great skill to bring out the best colours but there is really nothing to compare to a well cut and polished labradorite.

What makes a good Labradorite?Back to top

Although Labradorite is actually quite abundant, it is quite difficult to cut and care must be taken to bring out the colour and shine of the gemstone. The quality of the labradorescence is key to the value of the gemstone. The smoothness and translucency are also important as is the absence of significant cracks or inclusions within the gemstone.

Labradorite is immediately recognisable by its unique labradorescence so is very difficult to fake. The most similar "gemstone" would probably be dichroic glass but it would be almost impossible to confuse the two.

How to care for LabradoriteBack to top

Labradorite is a fairly soft gemstone, so can get scratched quite easily. Care should therefore be taken when they are worn. Because they are not usually faceted, and because of the schiller, small scratches may not be easily visible, but gradually you may notice the shine and schiller of the stone begin to dull. Fortunately, as long as there are no large cracks in the stone they are relatively easy to repolish, if you can find a reliable jeweller to do so.

Myths and legendsBack to top

The Inuit (who, living in Northern Canada, knew of the existance of Labradorite long before it was discovered by geologists) had a legend that the Northern Lights were captured in rocks until they were freed by a brave shaman, who struck the rocks with his spear. Some of the Lights stayed behind and are the cause of the iridescent shimmer of Labradorite.

Place of originBack to top

Labradorite was initially discovered in Labrador, an area of Newfoundland in Northeastern Canada and this is still a major source of the gemstone. Labradorite is also found in Finland, where it is also known as spectrolite.

Technical informationBack to top