malachite gem stones varieties and wholesale gemstone jewellery supply

Gemstone Information - Malachite

Malachite is a common ore of copper, a hydrated copper carbonate comes in a brilliant green. After cutting, it shows a banding of light and dark layers with concentric rings, straight stripes, or other figurative shapes. The name might derived from the green color in Greek called 'malache'.

Main sources of malachite come from Australia, Russia, Democratic Republic of Congo ( formerly Zaire), Zambia, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah of US, and Australia.

Sometimes, malachite intermixed with other copper minerals, such as blue azurite and chrysocolla ( called azurmalachite ), or rusty red of limonite.

Because it has differing shades of green banding similar to agate and low hardness 3.5 to 4, malachite was very popular with the ancient Egyptians, Israel, Greeks, and Romans for jewelry, magic charms, ornaments, amulets. It was ground into powder and worn as eye shadow. Russians also used malachite to decorate their palaces, to panel the walls and to inlay the stone in various mosaic ornaments. Painters use malachite as pigment for mountain green.

Today, with reasonable prices and perfect cleavage, malachite may be carved and polished as decorative stone for beads, buttons, carved figurines, boxes, jewelry ornaments, and other decorative objects. Jewelry smith or stone cutter work hard on this semiprecious specimens in order to show the best decorative marking. The malachite cabochons with concentric eye-like rings are called malachite peacock's eye.

Malachite has low hardness and easily scratched. It is sensitive to heat, acids, ammonia, and hot water. You can clean the malachite stone by wiping it with lukewarm, soapy water and rinse.

Malachite was associated with strong love goddesses in many cultures around the world. It's believed have capability of protecting wearer from the evil eye and bringing good luck. It aids childbirth labor and get an easier and faster birth. Placing malachite stone near by televisions, computers or phones, this cleaning and protective stone filter out negative pollution and harmful rays emitted by electrical equipment.

PMA-21
Sterling silver pendant with assorted design malachite stone