This is one of my favourite stock items.
It has wonderful flashes of iridescent colours known as “Labradorescence”. The colour changes according to the angle of the light refraction and gives a metallic lustre of blue, green, gold and pink. It is truly captivating and almost seems to exude light from within.
There was a charming legend that the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) became trapped in the rocks along the Labrador coast until a wandering Eskimo warrior freed them with his spear, but some of the lights remained trapped, thus forming the Labradorite.
Labradorite (also sometimes referred to as Spectrolite) is of the Plagioclase Feldspar group which is a series of mixtures of Sodium and Calcium Aluminium Silicates. It has a triclinic crystal system.
It was first discovered in Labrador by Moravian missionaries in 1770 where it was subsequently mined and used for jewellery, inlays and other ornamental purposes. The seam was ultimately exhausted, but new deposits were discovered in the 1940’s in Finland and Madagascar as well as Australia.
The large pieces of Labradorite make wonderful ornaments for interior design not least as they are great conversation pieces. Small pieces of Labradorite are available made up into beautiful and unusual pendants which make exquisite gifts.
Charlotte
© Copyright Charlotte M Bailey 2012
