Process Labradorite at home, Inuit say

Creating a processing facility for Labradorite stone could create a significant economic boom for Inuit, the Labrador Inuit Development Corporation says.

Although Labradorite is found around the world, a peacock-blue variety of the stone is unique to Labrador.

Currently, the stone is shipped from Nain, on Labrador's north coast, in its raw form to Italy, where it is sold to processors. The Labradorite is mined from bedrock at an anorthosite quarry near Nain and shipped overseas in blocks weighing 10 to 30 tonnes.

The Labrador Inuit Development Corporation wants to change that, by establishing a processing system in Labrador.

Leander Baikie, marketing director with the corporation, said processing the Nain Labradorite closer to home will bring a boost to the local economy.

"It's not found anywhere else in the world," Baikie said. "We have a great opportunity that we've never expanded on before. We can create a lot of ... consistent employment."

The corporation hired Lloyd Henry, a natural stone industry consultant with Hudson's Economics Group in Ohio, to help set up a plan to get local processing underway.

Henry said he believes all the fine finishing of the material can be done in Labrador.

"Rather than taking blocks to the world market, we're going to bring the blocks from Nain down here to Goose Bay and put them on the market in Goose Bay," Henry told CBC News. "We can do that with the internet. All things are possible."

The stone from Labrador is used in designer tiles and countertops around the world.

Although the plan to establish a local processing industry is still in the early stages, Henry estimates selling and finishing the stone locally could bring the Labrador economy $25 million a year.