Coveted for centuries, Labradorite gemstones are full of mystery and wonder.  At first glance, they appear as a beautiful grey stones, then the light hits them and your eyes are delighted with shimmering flashes of peacock-blue, velvety green, and fiery orange.

Eskimo Inuit and Native American Innu of Labrador, Canada, where Labradorite gets its name, tell a beautiful tale about the birth of these gems.  In ancient times, the spectacular phenomena of the Aurora Borealis as we know it today, ethereal dancing colors in shades of blue, green, orange and purple across the night sky, was once trapped inside the stones along Labrador’s shoreline.  An Inuit warrior discovered these rocks and struck them with his spear to release their fiery colors.  The fire that couldn’t be freed remained frozen in the stones and that’s the shimmer of lights, a color flash so unique it was given it’s own name, labradorescence, we see in Labradorite gemstones.

Labradorite is available in a variety of styles and sizes.  I’m drawn to the rich grey and warm gray stones cut as faceted beads and love pin-setting them as clusters in oxidized recycled sterling silver.  The lustrous dark grey silver accentuates labradorite’s neutral tones and provides a stunning contrast to the labradorescence. Pin-setting each stone allows the most amount of light to play on the gems.  No two stones are ever alike which makes the color flashes on clusters of labradorite even more striking.

Photo credits: Julie Stanley/JuleImages LLC

Please note, all metaphysical and healing properties listed are collected from a variety of sources and shared for educational, historical and entertainment purposes only. The authors and Michelle Pajak-Reynolds Studios LLC do not guarantee the validity of such statements nor is any of this information meant to treat medical conditions. If you have a medical concern, please consult your medical provider for appropriate treatment options.