Labradorite
Mohs Hardness – 6 Found in – Canada, Mexico, Russia, Madagascar, Australia, and the USA. History – Laboradorite (lab-ra-door-ite) is a plagioclase feldspar. It is similar to moonstone but with plates of magnetite within which give it a grey colored background. Its overlying color is iridescent hues of golden, blue, grey, purple and green. The stones that shows a "schiller" or a play of color are the most popular. Care must be taken during cutting of the stone to orientate the stone for the best schiller. It is named from the Canadian penninsula of Laborador, Canada, where it was first discovered in 1770. A transparent variety called golden laboradorite is sometimes found in the USA, Mexico and Australia. This variety is usually faceted and does not show a play of color. A similar material called Spectrolite comes from Finland and is darker colored with deep blue and purple flashes. Metaphysical - Said to be effective for bone problems, arthritis, to improve intuition, to spark creativity & in the treatment of colds.