Labradorite Lightning!

Labradorite is one of my favourite gemstones, for its inner fire and light, a stone that fairly dances with life. It has some wonderful folklore stories associated with it, and it has also even been found in some meteorites!
According to an Eskimo legend, the Northern Lights were once imprisoned in the rocks along the coast of Labrador.  It is told that a wandering Eskimo warrior found them and was able to free most of the lights with a mighty blow of his spear. Some of the lights were still trapped within the stone, and this is why we have today the beautiful mineral known as labradorite.
Labradorite is feldspar and gem quality Labradorite is known as known as spectrolite and is dark and opalescent blue with a shimmer when the light hits it. A colourless variety, darkened with needle like inclusions, it is often called black moonstone. And is a sister stone to Moonstone another favourite of mine.
With a Mohs Hardness of 6 and with a triclinic crystal structure, it is one of the softer gemstones, and is often found as cabochons and highly polished, although facetted Labradorite is also used and gives a differing dimension to the stone.
Labradorite was originally discovered in on St. Paul Island, Labrador, Canada in 1770. Pieces of the stone were found amongst the artifacts of the Red Painted People of Maine. Spectrolite was discovered in Finland during World War II. It is considered to be the gem quality of Labradorite.
The name labradorite comes from the province of Labrador in Canada, which is a famous locality for labradorite with an iridescent play of colours. Feldspar is derived from the German word feld which means field. Labradorite is also found in India, Madagascar, Newfoundland, and Russia










For those that believe in physical or healing properties of stones, Labradorite is believed to be particularly effective in alleviating bone issues, disorders of the spinal column and the wear and tear of the joints. Rheumatism and arthritis may also benefit from this stone's healing powers.   Labradorite is said to be helpful in treating eye and brain disorders, and to help regulate metabolism and the digestive process. So an all over balancing stone I think!
Labradorite is believed to have a calming and harmonizing effect, so it is a wonderful stone for people who have a lot of stress in their lives.  It improves intuition and clarifies views and objectives.
Because of this calming effect Labradorite is said to provide quick relief from anxiety, hopelessness and depression, replacing them with enthusiasm, self-confidence and inspiration. It is said to dispel negativity and to bring clear understanding by enhancing clarity of thought helping people to cooperate with others in harmony. 

I am not personally guaranteeing these properties of Labradorite, I just adore this gemstone for its deep inner life and light and I am not the only one, I found 9 pages of Labradorite items in folksy, so many to choose from to feature in this blog.

If you would like a closer look at the wonderful items featured, please click on the pictures to be transported to their locations in their particular Folksy shops. Thank you.

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A big thank you to Natalie of NOfkants Curios for another interesting post. I love the shimmering effect of this stone!