Albite often occurs as fine parallel segregations alternating with pink microcline in perthite as a result of exolution on cooling.

Although both variants are triclinic, they differ in the volume of their unit cell, which is slightly larger for the 'high' form.

[10] It occurs in granitic and pegmatite masses (often as the variety cleavelandite),[11] in some hydrothermal vein deposits, and forms part of the typical greenschist metamorphic facies for rocks of originally basaltic composition.

Minerals that albite is often considered associated with in occurrence include biotite, hornblende, orthoclase, muscovite and quartz.

[13][14] One of the iridescent varieties of albite, discovered in 1925 near the White Sea coast by academician Alexander Fersman, became widely known under the trade name belomorite.