Hardness: 6.00
Refractive Index: 1.56-1.57
Specific Gravity: 2.70
Birthstone:
Astral Stone:
Anniversary Stone:
Origination: Labrador(Canada), Finland, Norway, Madagascar & the former Russia.
Care & Cleaning: Certain labradorites are fragile, so they should always be handled with care. Clean with a soft polishing cloth, plain water rinse or mild solution of soap & water.
Fiction, Facts & Folklore:
Labradorite is a member of the plagioclase subgroup of feldspar.
Approximately one half of the earth�s� crust is covered with feldspar.
Labradorite is considered a gem of the winter.
It was named for the Province of Labrador, Canada, where it was first discovered.
Labradorite comes in a wide array of colors, including blue, yellow, gray, red, orange and violet, as well as in a colorless state.
The colors of labradorite are usually indicative of their country of origin. The gray variety generally comes from Canada, while the yellow gem most often originates in the former Russia. A lovely semi-transparent blue species called �spectrolite� originates in Finland. Spectrolite has its own individual page of reference later in this section of the book.
Labradorite often displays a strong pleochroism, flashing an impressive mixture of colors when viewed from different angles.
Certain species of labradorite have the ability to show various intensities of color in the same gem, and this phenomena is known as �labradoresence�.
For additional information, see "spectrolite."