MALACHITE

Malachite is a green stone with irregular bands of lighter and darker green. The name malachite comes from the Greek word "malache" which means mallow, for the mallow leaf of the same hue.  Many beautiful specimens of malachite contain special combinations with other minerals, such as azurite, cuprite, or chrysocolla.  Malachite can be found in Zaire, USSR, Germany, France, Chile, Australia, Arizona and New Mexico/USA.

Malachite forms at shallow depths within the Earth, in the oxidizing zone above copper deposits. It precipitates from descending solutions in fractures, caverns, cavities, and the intergranular spaces of porous rock. It often forms within limestone where a subsurface chemical environment favorable for the formation of carbonate minerals can occur.

Malachite was popular with ancient civilizations in Egypt, Rome, and Greece where it was used in jewelry as well as cosmetics. During the Middle Ages, people believed it protected against childhood dangers as well as being a cure for vomiting.

Gem cutters pay special attention to orienting malachite in order to showcase the interesting layers and markings. This makes the stone popular for objets d’art, jewelry, inlay and other ornaments.