Labradorite - Meaning and Effect
The colorful iridescent labradorite leads us once again our goals and objectives clearly in front of eyes, when around us everything is full of energy. Before loud activities, it is sometimes not so easy to look more closely at what is happening and despite all the enthusiasm also to remain critical. Here the Labradorite can offer valuable support: The core of the matter and the sense of our goals reveal themselves, illusions fall, we look behind the things and in ourselves - perhaps in the context of a meditation; also the intuition is strengthened. Full of creative ideas and with great enthusiasm, we can thus devote ourselves disillusioned to the true intentions.
Articles made of white and dark Labrodorite, e.g. tumbled stones, chain strands and drilled stones, can be found here in our webshop for commercial customers
Scientific profile labradorite
Chemical formula: NaCa[AlSi3O8/Al2Si2O8] + Ba,Fe,K,Mn,P,Sr,Ti + (Cu,Ga,Nb,Ni,Pb,Zn,Zr)
Mineral Class: mineral of the Feldspar family and the framework silicates
Labradorite is now no longer considered an independent mineral, but is a so-called. Plagioclase; details can be found below.
Color: white, yellowish, gray, gray-green, brownish to black; at the cleavage surfaces appear colorful color play (dark Labrodorite) or white with bluish color play (white Labradorite). The play of color on the surface of labradorite is called labradorescence; see below for details.
Glossiness: glassy
Crystal system: triclinic
Moh hardness: 6 to 6.5
Splitability: perfect
Breakage: uneven, splintery
occurrence:Australia, Italy, Finland, Greenland, India, Canada (Labrador), Mexico, Madagascar, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, USA. The dark Labradorites in the trade are mostly from Madagascar, the light Labradorites from India.
Evolution: primary-liquid magmatic from basic to intermediate magma or volcanic formation (dark Labradorite) or magmatic in pegmatites, ie.i.e. coarse-grained deep and gangue rocks (light Labradorite)
Labradorite, Plagioclase and Feldspar
Labradorite is now no longer considered an independent mineral, but is a so-called plagioclase (soda-lime feldspar). With the term "plagioclase" mixtures of Albite (NaAlSi3O8) and Anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8) are designated, which is assigned to the group of the Feldspars.
Other known representatives of the feldspar group are
Amazonite- K(AlSi3O8)
Moonstone - (K,Na)[AlSi3O8]
Sunstone -. Na[AlSi3O8]Ca[Al2Si2O8]
Labradorescence
The most striking feature of a polished labradorite is the iridescent play of colors and the colorful shimmer, which turn what at first glance appears to be an unremarkable piece into a fantastic, colorful piece. This phenomenon is called labradorescence and describes the iridescent play of color and the colorful shimmer of labradorite. The cause of this fascinating phenomenon lies in the layered structure of the mineral, which creates complex optical effects.
During the formation of labradorite from a homogeneous, hot liquid, various layers have gradually been deposited, each of which differs somewhat in its chemical composition.
When light strikes the labradorite, it is both absorbed and reflected at the individual segregation layers and additionally split into the spectral colors. Often, the individual light waves overlap (so-called interference) within the gemstone and thus amplify or cancel each other out.
Which of these effects dominates and thus determines the color play of the individual piece depends on the angle of incidence of the light and the thickness of the various layers - this is clearly visible, for example, if you move a labradorite polished piece back and forth in your hand. Predominant colors are blue, violet and green, occasionally other colors can be found. In very rare cases, the shimmer encompasses the entire color spectrum; in this case, the gemstone is then called spectrolite.
Name origin, varieties and synonyms of labradorite
In the 18th century, the first labradorites reached Europe after they were found on the Canadian peninsula of Labrador in 1770. The Czech missionary Father Adolf found the first pieces there when the Herrnhuters established numerous settlements on the forest-covered peninsula in the Atlantic Ocean. The mineral received its name "Labradorite" in 1832 by the French mineralogist and professor François Bedaunt (1787 - 1850) because of its location on the Labrador Peninsula. In the 1960s one discovered in Finland the colorful, multicolored iridescent Spektrolith, a rare variety of the Labradorite (see "Labradorescence").
A third representative of the Labradorite group is the Galaxyt, a shimmering black mineral with tiny sprinkles of Labradorite, which is found also in Canada, in the trade since 1995.
The so-called "Rainbow Moonstone" is a white variety of Labradorite with a bluish or multicolored iridescence, which is also counted to the group of Feldspars, but mineralogically cannot be called Moonstone. The blue iridescence of rainbow Moonstone is usually somewhat darker than that of true Moonstone.
Synonyms and trade names of Labradorite are Anemousite, Carnatite, Hafnefjordite, Labradorite, Labratowrite, Lynx Eye, Maulite, Mornite, Ox Eye, Radauite, Rainbow Stone, Schiller Spar and Silicite. A rock known by the trade name "Labrador" has nothing to do with the mineral Labradorite; it is a syenite.
Irrelevant synonyms for the dark Labradorite are (black) rainbowstone and (colorful) flint. The names Northern Lights Stone and Aurora Borealis go back to the tradition that once the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) was trapped in the mountains of the Labrador coast and was freed by a brave warrior who broke the rock. So today the aurora borealis can be seen high in the north, only a few rays remained and became Labradorite.
Effect of Labradorite
Illusions belong to the spice of life, without them it would often be much too dull and monotonous. But if you indulge in illusions uncritically, lose yourself in reveries without recognizing them as such, then we run the risk of being brought back sooner or later rudely to the hard ground of reality! A strength of the dark Labradorite is that it first shows us the illusions vividly and vividly before our eyes, until we suddenly recognize their true content as pure light reflections. Creativity and imagination are not affected, only our realistic view strengthened again.
The Labradorite also promotes our memory and the ability to feel feelings more deeply. The effects of Labradorite can be experienced especially well in meditation with the help of a (semi) polished stone.
White Labradorite is used in modern stone healing when the ability to feel and the body feeling should be improved. The memory of dreams is supported by the white Labrodorite.
The variety Galaxite helps in remembering dreams and enhances the perception of feelings. It facilitates access to a state of emotional satisfaction. With its play of colors, spectrolite especially supports imagination and creativity and strengthens artistic talents.
Labradorite as a gemstone
Labradorite is very popular as a cut stone, for example for tying gemstone necklaces or in cabochon cut as a pendant or ring stone. The processing of labradorite must be done with care, because the gemstone does not tolerate acid, alkali or galvanic baths. Even cleaning a piece of jewelry in an ultrasonic bath can damage the stone. Since labradorite, with a Mos hardness of 6 - 6.5, is softer than quartz (7), for example, labradorites become dull and unsightly after a long time due to the ubiquitous dust also consisting of quartz grains. With the help of, for example, a soft brush, the labradorite but can easily be helped to old shine.
Chain strands of labradorite, silver jewelry and other labradorite articles can be found here in our webshop for resellers.
