Labradorite

Labradorite Rock Professor Image

Labradorite is a semi-translucent, gray gemstone with a beautiful play of colors called labradorescence. As one turns the stone one can see flashes of blue, violet and green and sometimes orange and yellow.
 
Labradorite is named from the locality where it was first found: Labrador, Newfoundland. Another variety, spectrolite, is found in Finland.
 
Chemistry: Calcium sodium aluminum silicate ♦ Group: Plagioclase feldspar ♦ Color: Gray to smoky black ♦ Luster: Dull to vitreous ♦ Transparency: Transparent to translucent ♦ Crystal system: Triclinic ♦ Moh's hardness: 6 - 6.5 ♦ Play of color: Labradorescence ♦ Localities: Labrador, Madagascar, and Scandinavia.