Larvikite
We don't expect to have many listings for larvikite, but we do have some. The rockhounds at The Stone Circle regularly come across this material when we are walking pathways down in Dumfries and Galloway, but it pops up in other places, too.
Larvikite is widely thought of as a poor man's labradorite, but it looks a bit more like moonstone. Whenever we try to polish it, it comes up dull. It is not native to Scotland but was brought here by the government to build sea defences. So it's here, and it's not native, but it's a good example of how confusing geology can be.
Larvikite comes from Larvik
Ancient geologists would find a new mineral and just name it after whatever was closest to hand. Usually the scientist who found it. Larvikite follows a great geological tradition of being named after the place it was first discovered. In this case, that was the town of Larvik in Norway. These days you can also find it in Ontario, Canada,