One of my favorite stones to design with and to wear is Labradorite.

What makes Labradorite so special (aside from its beauty)  is the way it refracts light and the deep, iridescent and ethereal glow that comes from within.  It's  magical glow is caused by the way light is refracted through the layers of stone as it enters.   In any  given moment beautiful flashes of green, grey, blue and even yellow can appear. 

It reminds me of the way the Northern Lights dance across the sky.  

Labradorite also has mystical and spiritual properties, and is known as the stone of creativity and infinite possibilities.  

From a design perspective, the possibilities are also infinite...

 
I like to feature labradorite in my spring and summer collections because of the way it pairs so beautifully with spring pastels and the crisp whites of summer.  

One of my favorite layering pieces pairs labradorite rondelles with the elegant touch of gold hammered beads.  It works beautifully on its own, but also looks beautiful layered with mixed metals or stones on the paler end of the spectrum like moonstone, silverite and of course, diamonds.  

 
As a little girl, I always looked forward to spending nights in our weekend cabin on Mount Cobb just north of the Napa Valley.  We'd often arrive at night, and I'd look up at the dark sky with wonder as I saw stars twinkling from a million miles away.   

To  this day, whenever I see the first star of the night I can't help but make a wish as I say:

Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight...

Stars have forever become a source of inspiration to me, both in life and in design, and I can't resist adding a star design element from time to time--like on the ring above.  

 
Oxidized sterling silver marries beautifully with all shades of labradorite.  A simple bezel surrounding the stone is all I felt I needed to highlight the magic in each one of these stones.  

 
One of the designs you'll see appearing in my collections year after year is some variation of the cluster necklace. Often with mixed metals, they feature an array of stones that showcase the best of each. 

Labradorite is a frequent component of the mix, like the necklace above.  I love how the tahitian pearl plays off of the mottled vein in the labradorite, while moonstone drops bring a touch of brightness. 

xx--Robindira