subject: Labradorite Is Said To Be The Aurora Borealis Trapped In Stone [print this page] There are nearly 20 members in the feldspar group of minerals of which the nine well-known make up the greatest percentage of minerals found in the Earth's crust.
Feldspar is a widely used raw material in glassmaking, ceramics, and to some extent as a filler and extender in paint, plastics, and rubber.
Arguably one of the most beautiful is the gemstone labradorite, first discovered in the Labrador Peninsula in 1770, in Eastern Canada. Since then it has been found and mined in a number of other places, notably Finland, Madagascar, Australia, Mexico, Norway, Russia and the USA.
It is generally found in a rock called Anorthosite, which is an igneous rock that is has a high composition of feldspars. Labradorite can produce a colourful play of light across cleavage planes and colours range from blues and violets through greens, yellows and oranges.
It is generally used in jewellery, where it looks particularly spectacular when set in silver in labradorite bracelets or labradorite necklaces.
Labradorite's strange and slightly unearthly iridescence, which is only visible from certain angles, is caused by a ray of light entering a layer and being refracted back and forth by deeper layers.
It gave rise to a number of myths among the Inuit in the area where it was first found. The Eskimos believed that the Northern Lights were once trapped in the rocks off the coast of Labrador, but were set free into the air by one of their ancestors who broke one of the rocks with his spear - some of the lights, however, remained trapped in the stone.
The Finns often buried pieces of Labradorite in their fields as an offering to the spirits of the land and a particular variety found in Finland with a black base colour and called Spectrolite has been nicknamed The Shaman's Stone and Black Moonstone.
There is also a belief that those attracted to Labradorite have their roots in the mythical Atlantis, and it is also believed that this stone, associated with the third eye chakra, can help people to attract success and visualise and realise their dreams.
The stone's iridescence, also known as labradorescence is unique and, while a representation may be caught in photographs it should really be observed in person to truly appreciate its beauty.
Wearing a labradorite pendant and holding the stone in the hand while visualising ones dreams is said to have a powerful effect in turning dream into reality.
