Let's talk Labradorite

Few crystals attract people to crystal collecting like labradorite does. The different flashes and colours that you have to discover over time, the ‘getting to know it’ that keeps it so fun and interesting. But what is labradorite, really? How far back can we date human admiration of this crystal for its properties and beauty? Where can it be found? 

First of all, let’s go over how it is created. Labradorite is a feldspar mineral (feldspar is a rock-forming mineral that makes up about 40-41% of the Earth’s continental crust. Think of it as a nest in which crystals form) that forms mostly in igneous rocks. Igneous rocks, in simple terms, means rocks that are formed from the solidification of molten rock below the Earth’s surface and the slow cooling that occurs is what allows large crystals to form. This is an interesting point, as the speed in which these rocks cool down determine the crystals that are formed. For example, if the same process occurs more rapidly, we get obsidian or even Andesite instead of Labradorite.

So, in simple terms, Labradorite is a feldspar mineral that forms in igneous rocks as it cools down at a specific rate.

What makes it special is the colour or labradorescence that we see in these stones. What’s important to point out, is that labradorescence is not a display of colours reflected from the surface of the stone. What determines the colours we see in labradorite is how the light enters the stone and reflects back from the twinning surface.
A twining surface in crystallography is a composition surface, think of labradorite as ‘layered’, if you look closely at a labradorite, it will almost seem like there is a layer that you can see below the surface and it would seem like that is where the ‘flash is’.
Different twinning surfaces within the stone reflect different colours of light. So it’s not so much that a labradorite is blue or purple or pink, it’s that the twinning surface through which light is reflected is of a different thickness, composition or angle.

So, scienency stuff aside now, as far as historical references to labradorite being admired and found, it is often said that Labradorite was first found in 1770 by a Moravian missionary near a place called Nain, Labrador (hence the name) in Canada. Even though this is often referred to as the discovery year, it is almost certain that labradorite was used and admired by the Native American Innu people and the Eskimo Inuit people long before that. They referred to it as the ‘fire stone’ due to its beauty and and resemblance to the Northern Lights and was common in the area as it could be found in the rocks nearby. 

As the legend goes, a mighty Inuit warrior once found an incredibly beautiful stone and believed that it was the Northern Lights trapped inside the stone. So he took his spear, smashed the rock and released them back to the skies where they belonged. Whatever light could not be freed, remained in these labradorite stones and deserved respect.

Labradorite was used for an array of things by the Native people - starting with jewellery, which was the most common use, and even in medicine. They would grind the stone into powder form and apply it to variety of treatments.

An overlapping use which we cannot ignore, was spiritual use. The stone represented protection provided by the natural powers that controlled Earth. It was believed to bring clarity of mind, spiritual guidance and helped with foreseeing the hardships that could come in the future. What is interesting, is that the Innu people also commonly used Citrine in their spiritual practice.

However, as labradorite is not only found in modern day Canada, but also Finland, Russia, Ukraine, Madagascar etc, there are many references to other cultures using it for similar purposes, the most interesting to me would be how Norse tribes in Scandinavia used Labradorite for an almost identical purpose, as they also witnessed the Northern Lights and possibly made the same connections. 

Modern day uses for Labradorite have not changed much - it is a stone of manifestation, spiritual guidance and clarity and is most often used in jewellery and daily spiritual practice.

How do you use labradorite and what makes you love it?