The Uses of Malachite

Malachite is one of the most popular and beautiful semi precious stones available. While it might be owned by millions, most people are not aware that the ornamental jewelry or figurines they own are created from the gemstone Malachite. Malachite is a wonderful gemstone that is generally used for ornamental jewelry, small statues and figurines and many times for pigment to make paint.

Malachite usually comes in a rich, intense green and it can be light or dark. What is important is that it is generally banded. In most gemstones, you will see plenty of bands or rings within the stone each with their own color of green. Malachite gets it wonderfully warm colors from the element copper. Malachite’s composition is called copper carbonate hydroxide. It is written as the following Cu2(CO3)(OH)2 and it is one of the more common copper ores.

Malachite is named after the Greek word Mallow, which means green herb. This stone has known to man for thousands of years not only to the Ancient Greeks and Romans, but also across the Atlantic to many Native American Indian tribes, which still use this stone for ornamental jewelry and pigment.

Today, Malachite is extremely popular in the Southwest part of America. It is used to create ornamental jewelry and figurines. This earthy stone is very popular and is usually mixed with other top semi precious gemstones to create wonderful jewelry pieces. For instance, some of the gemstones added to the mix of Malachite are Mother of Pearl, Onyx, Jasper and Coral.

Malachite - The History and Origins

Malachite is one of the more popular gemstones around. While it is not terribly valuable, it is incredibly beautiful and it is usually sold as jewelry and small figurines without many people knowing that it is made from Malachite.

Malachite is a type of mineral that is a popular copper ore. It is commonly referred to in the scientific community as copper carbonate hydroxide. While it is considered a semi precious stone, it is extremely attractive due to its wonderful green hues. Usually Malachite is a banded stone and you will see darker and lighter bands within the stone.

Malachite has been known to man since the beginning of civilization, its name comes from the Greek word mallow which means a type of herb. It has been used to form ornamental jewelry, figurines, and small boxes for thousands of years. As jewelry, many ancient cultures gave it mystical and magical properties. For instance, certain cultures said malachite would protect the wearer from evil.

While Malachite is extremely popular as ornamental jewelry and for making figurines, it is a relatively soft mineral. For instance, Malachite only scores a 3.5 to 4 on Moh’s hardness scale. This means that while very stable, impact to the stone can chip it or destroy it. Sometimes a resin is applied to the stone to protect it from chips and scratches. If you would like to make sure that the stone is real Malachite, you can gently apply a drop of HCL acid onto the stone and you will immediately see it effervesce.