WW II Spectrolite

$137.00

Spectrolite. The look of an almost black obsidian until the light hits it just right, and then.... all bets are off! The story behind spectrolite is amazing! Initially described by a Finnish geologist in the late 1800s, he spent his life trying to discover the source locality of the material; until his son, Pekka discovered it building trenches in WWII. After the war, it became a significant local industry. It is now one of the most sought-after minerals in the world. It is in the labradorite family but is considered the “gemstone” of labradorites.
Ben found the raw material from a Finnish man at the gem show in Arizona. The specimen was black until Ben cut into it and found iridescence inside