Labradorite Specimen (01)

Labradorite is a feldspar mineral. It can produce a variety of colors ranging from the typical blues and violets to greens, yellows, and oranges. The color display is from lamellar inter-growths inside the crystal. These inter-growths are as a result of compatible chemistries at high temperatures becoming incompatible at lower temperatures and thus a separating and layering of these two phases. The resulting color effect is caused by a ray of light entering a layer and being refracted back and forth by deeper layers. This refracted ray is slowed by the extra travel through the layers and mixes with other rays to produce a light ray coming out that has a different wavelength than when it went in.