Labradorite is a form of Feldspar, a sodium calcium aluminum silicate. Often grey/green and characterized by the “flashes” in an array of vivid colors including blue, green, violet, gold, orange, and red. This characteristic play of light is known as Labradorescence. There is a form found in Finland known as Spectrolite which displays stronger color tones within a deeper black/grey matrix.
There is a ‘micro’ form of this stone known as Galaxyite, whereby very small pieces are found within a Feldspar matrix.
Labradorite: Meanings, Benefits and Properties
The frequency of Labradorite connects to all of the physical chakras. It acts as a protection stone by creating an energetic force field within one’s energy fields that prevents negative energy or thought forms from entering and draining your energy.
The energy of Labradorite is multi-dimensional and thus can aid one to shift one’s consciousness from the physical third dimension to the higher dimensions, thus aiding psychic abilities such as intuition, clairvoyance, and telepathy.
This stunning stone also aids one in recognizing deeply held belief patterns that are no longer serving one.
Labradorite is strengthening the Etheric body and thus can help with symptoms of M.E. Myalgic Encephalopathy.
Associated Chakras
- Base Root
- Sacral
- Solar Plexus
- Heart
- Throat
- Third Eye
- Crown
Physical Ailment
- Myalgic Encephalopathy
Emotional Issue
- Anxiety
- Stress
Spiritual Connection
- Protection – Psychic
- Psychic Ability
Occurrence
The geological type area for labradorite is Paul’s Island near the town of Nain in Labrador, Canada. It has also been reported in Norway, Finland and various other locations worldwide, with notable distribution in Madagascar, China, Australia, Slovakia and the USA.
Labradorite occurs in mafic igneous rocks and is the feldspar variety most common in basalt and gabbro. The uncommon anorthosite bodies are composed almost entirely of labradorite. It also is found in metamorphic amphibolites and as a detrital component of some sediments. Common mineral associates in igneous rocks include olivine, pyroxenes, amphiboles and magnetite.
Labradorescence
Labradorite can display an iridescent optical effect (or schiller) known as labradorescence. The term labradorescence was coined by Ove Balthasar Bøggild, who defined it (labradorization) as follows:
Labradorization is the peculiar reflection of the light from submicroscopical planes orientated in one direction (rarely in two directions); these planes have never such a position that they can be expressed by simple indices, and they are not directly visible under the microscope.
Contributions to the understanding of the origin and cause of the effect were made by Robert Strutt, 4th Baron Rayleigh (1923), and by Bøggild (1924).
The cause of this optical phenomenon is phase exsolution lamellar structure, occurring in the Bøggild miscibility gap. The effect is visible when the lamellar separation is between 128 to 252 nm (5.0×10−6 to 9.9×10−6 in); the lamellae are not necessarily parallel; and the lamellar structure is found to lack long range order.
The lamellar separation only occurs in plagioclases of a certain composition; those of calcic labradorite and bytownite (anorthite content of ~60 to 90%) particularly exemplify this. Another requirement for the lamellar separation is very slow cooling of the rock that contains the plagioclase. Slow cooling is required to allow the Ca, Na, Si, and Al ions to diffuse through the plagioclase and produce the lamellar separation. Therefore, not all labradorites exhibit labradorescence (they might not be the correct composition and/or they cooled too quickly), and not all plagioclases that exhibit labradorescence are labradorites (they may be bytownite).
Some gemstone varieties of labradorite exhibiting a high degree of labradorescence are called spectrolite.
