Labradorite Beads
Labradorite beads are the grey feldspar that flashes — peacock blue and gold, sometimes green or purple, sliding across each bead as it turns. The flash is graded AAA to A on how much of the strand carries it, and dark labradorite, the near-black variety, throws deep blue and purple. Faceted labradorite multiplies the angles the flash can catch; 8mm rounds are the mala and bracelet size. Beside moonstone, amazonite or hematite, it is the stone that adds movement to a piece.
Labradorite 10x16mm Faceted Marquise Bead - 15-16 Inch
Original price
$36.00
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Original price
$36.00
Original price
$36.00
$36.00
$36.00
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$36.00
Current price
$36.00
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full details
Original price
$36.00
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Original price
$36.00
Original price
$36.00
$36.00
$36.00
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$36.00
Current price
$36.00
Labradorite 10x8mm Faceted Butterfly A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Original price
$32.00
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Original price
$32.00
Original price
$32.00
$32.00
$32.00
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$32.00
Current price
$32.00
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full details
Original price
$32.00
-
Original price
$32.00
Original price
$32.00
$32.00
$32.00
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$32.00
Current price
$32.00
Labradorite 2-3x4mm Irregular Rondelle Bead - 15-16 Inch
Original price
$59.00
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Original price
$59.00
Original price
$59.00
$59.00
$59.00
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$59.00
Current price
$59.00
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full details
Original price
$59.00
-
Original price
$59.00
Original price
$59.00
$59.00
$59.00
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$59.00
Current price
$59.00
Labradorite 4-5x7-9mm Faceted Irregular Rondelle AAA Grade Beads - 10-Inch
Original price
$99.00
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Original price
$99.00
Original price
$99.00
$99.00
$99.00
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$99.00
Current price
$99.00
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full details
Original price
$99.00
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Original price
$99.00
Original price
$99.00
$99.00
$99.00
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$99.00
Current price
$99.00
Labradorite 2x4mm Tube Beads - 15-16 Inch
Original price
$12.00
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Original price
$12.00
Original price
$12.00
$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Current price
$12.00
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full details
Original price
$12.00
-
Original price
$12.00
Original price
$12.00
$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Current price
$12.00
Labradorite 8mm Faceted Puff Square A Grade - 15-16 Inch
Original price
$24.00
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Original price
$24.00
Original price
$24.00
$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Current price
$24.00
Labradorite is remarkable for the way its aggregate layers refract light, creating iridescent flashes of blue, gold, pale green or copper red. This...
View full details
Original price
$24.00
-
Original price
$24.00
Original price
$24.00
$24.00
$24.00
-
$24.00
Current price
$24.00
What gives labradorite its flash
That blue-and-gold shimmer has a name: labradorescence. Light reflects between microscopic layers inside the feldspar, so the color depends entirely on the angle. At rest the bead reads charcoal grey; tilted toward the light it flashes peacock blue, gold and green, and no two beads flash the same way. The effect is in the stone itself — a natural feldspar, cut and polished and nothing else — and a flash that moves as the bead turns is the mark of the real thing.
Blue to purple flash — AAA labradorite in motion
The strands in this clip are AAA-grade labradorite rounds, the grade with the strongest, most even flash; A and AA show it at narrower angles. Standard Madagascan material flashes blue and gold on a grey body, dark labradorite is the near-black variety that throws deep blue and purple, and golden labradorite is a transparent yellow feldspar with no flash. None of it is treated — the color is structure, not pigment — and plated strands are titled as such. It has to be seen moving.
Labradorite sizes and cuts — 2mm to 16mm
Labradorite is a feldspar (Mohs 6–6.5) with two cleavage directions: keep it apart from harder stones, skip ultrasonic cleaners, and wipe it with a soft damp cloth. Rounds run 2mm to 16mm — smooth, faceted, microfaceted, star-cut and matte — with faceted rondelles from 2.5x4mm to 8x10mm, coins to 25mm, table-cut cubes, lanterns, energy prisms, hexagons, tubes, saucers, chips, rough and faceted nuggets, pebbles, hearts, drops and marquise, free-form focals, collars and cabochons; large-hole rounds run 6mm and 8mm. It pairs with moonstone, amazonite, sunstone and hematite.
About this stone
Color
GrayDark GrayBlackIridescent (blue, gold, green flash)
Origin
MadagascarCanada (Labrador)Finland (Spectrolite)Russia
Mohs hardness
6–6.5
Treatment categories
Natural
Industry-standard treatment
None — labradorite is typically untreated
Mineral chemistry
Plagioclase feldspar (calcium-sodium aluminum silicate)
Crystal system
Triclinic
Stone family
Feldspar
Common cuts
Faceted RondelleRoundSmoothFreeform
Common sizes
4mm6mm8mm10mm
Care notes
Mohs 6–6.5 with two cleavage directions. Avoid ultrasonic. Best in necklaces, earrings, pendants; use with care in rings and bracelets.
Related stones
Moonstone, Sunstone, Spectrolite (variety), Amazonite
Frequently asked questions
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How do you grade labradorite flash?
Grade reflects how strong and consistent the flash is. AAA beads show the brightest, most even color play across the strand; AA and A show flash that is more selective or appears at narrower angles. Higher grades cost more because more of the rough has to be cut away to keep the flash. Grade is stated in the product title where it applies. -
What are the different types of labradorite?
Standard labradorite is grey feldspar with blue and gold flash, most of it from Madagascar. Dark labradorite is the near-black variety whose flash runs deep blue to purple. Golden labradorite is a transparent yellow feldspar with no flash at all. Spectrolite is the trade name for Finnish material that flashes the full spectrum. Larvikite, sold as black labradorite or black moonstone, is a different feldspar from Norway with a silver-grey schiller rather than a colored flash. -
Is rainbow moonstone the same thing as labradorite?
Mineralogically, yes: rainbow moonstone is white labradorite — a pale, near-colorless body with a blue sheen, mostly from Madagascar — while classic moonstone is a different feldspar, orthoclase. The trade keeps the moonstone name because the look sits with moonstone, so the same material can appear under either name in a catalog. Hardness and care are the same as grey labradorite. -
Is labradorite treated or dyed?
No. Labradorite is sold untreated: the color and the flash are structural — light interference inside the feldspar — so there is nothing added and nothing to fade. The beads are cut and polished, and that is all. The exceptions are plated strands, which carry a metallic or rainbow coating over the stone and are titled as plated; treatment is labelled where known. -
What sizes and cuts do labradorite beads come in?
Rounds carry the range — 2mm and 3mm accents, 4mm and 6mm everyday sizes, 8mm as the mala and bracelet standard, 10mm and 12mm statement rounds, 14mm and 16mm at the top — smooth, faceted, microfaceted, star-cut or matte, graded AAA, AA and A on the flash. Beyond rounds: faceted rondelles from 2.5x4mm to 8x10mm, coins from 2mm to 25mm, table-cut cubes from 2mm to 7mm, lanterns, energy prisms, hexagons, bicones, tubes, saucers, chips, rough and faceted nuggets, hearts, drops and marquise, free-form focals and collars, and cabochons in coin, oval, pear and free-form. Large-hole rounds run 6mm and 8mm.