Yellow Labradorite Identification Guide
How to identify yellow labradorite, a transparent golden plagioclase feldspar, by its cleavage, hardness, twinning striations, and separation from citrine.
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What Yellow Labradorite Looks Like
Yellow Labradorite is a transparent to translucent golden-yellow variety of labradorite, a calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar. Unlike the dark, flashy gray labradorite, this material is clean and warm-colored (sometimes marketed as "golden labradorite" or grouped with sunstone-type feldspars), typically faceted as gems.
- Color: pale to rich golden yellow, sometimes champagne
- Luster: vitreous (glassy)
- Transparency: transparent to translucent
- Habit: blocky cleavage fragments and crystals; faceted gems show clean color, occasionally a soft schiller
Step-by-Step Field ID Checklist
- Look for cleavage — feldspar shows two good cleavage directions meeting near 90°, often visible as flat, reflective steps.
- Find twinning striations — fine parallel lines on cleavage surfaces (albite twinning) signal plagioclase.
- Test hardness — scratches glass with effort; about Mohs 6–6.5.
- Assess color and clarity — even golden hue, glassy, often eye-clean.
- Tilt for schiller — some pieces show a faint sheen, though clean gem material may show little.
Key Diagnostic Tests
- Mohs hardness: ~6–6.5 (just barely scratches glass; a hard steel file scratches it).
- Streak: white.
- Cleavage: two directions at ~86–90° (perfect/good); this is the key feldspar trait.
- Density: ~2.68–2.72 g/cm³.
- Striations: parallel albite-twin lines distinguish plagioclase from quartz.
Common Look-Alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Citrine (quartz): harder (Mohs 7) and has NO cleavage (conchoidal fracture); labradorite has flat cleavage and is slightly softer.
- Yellow beryl: harder (7.5–8), hexagonal, no two-direction cleavage.
- Oregon sunstone (also plagioclase): related feldspar but often shows copper schiller/aventurescence; yellow labradorite is the more uniformly golden, transparent type.
- Yellow scapolite: similar look; differs in crystal habit and optical properties, needs gem testing.
- Orthoclase/sanidine feldspar: also yellowish but lacks the fine albite twin striations of plagioclase.
Where It Is Typically Found
Golden/yellow labradorite is notably sourced from Mexico (often sold as Mexican golden labradorite or linked with sunstone deposits) and from Oregon, USA (the plagioclase sunstone deposits). It also occurs in mafic igneous rocks and anorthosites worldwide. Gem material comes from clean crystals in volcanic and intrusive host rocks; the combination of golden color, feldspar cleavage, and twin striations is the strongest identifier.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if it's real yellow labradorite?
Real yellow labradorite is a plagioclase feldspar: look for two cleavage directions near 90°, fine parallel twin striations on cleavage faces, hardness about 6–6.5, and a white streak. The presence of cleavage separates it from quartz.
Yellow labradorite vs citrine: how do I tell them apart?
Citrine is quartz—harder (Mohs 7) with no cleavage and conchoidal fracture—while yellow labradorite is softer (6–6.5) and shows flat feldspar cleavage with twin striations. Checking for cleavage planes is the simplest test.
What does yellow labradorite look like?
It appears as transparent to translucent golden-yellow feldspar, often clean and glassy when faceted, sometimes with a faint schiller sheen, and showing blocky cleavage in rough pieces.
Is yellow labradorite the same as golden labradorite or sunstone?
They are closely related plagioclase feldspars. "Golden labradorite" is essentially yellow labradorite, and Oregon sunstone is a plagioclase from the same family, though sunstone often shows copper-platelet schiller and aventurescence.
Yellow Labradorite identified by the community
Recent Yellow Labradorite specimens identified with Rock Identifier.
