Malachite
COLOR RANGE
Vivid bluish green to green, usually banded with two or more tones of green
HARDNESS & TOUGHNESS
Hardness: 3.5 – 4 Toughness: Poor
MAJOR SOURCES
Australia, Germany, Namibia, Russia, USA
Malachite is a beautiful decorative stone. Its rich, patterned coloration in shades of green is unique among gems. Malachite has a distinctive banded appearance. It shows a banding of light and dark layers with concentric rings and stripes. It’s relative softness makes it easy to work. Despite its low hardness, it also takes a polish very well. These qualities, combined with ready availability, make malachite a popular choice for lapidary artistry.
The name malachite derives from the Greek Malache meaning mallow, because the stone is the same color as mallow leaves. Malachite is copper based, and has been crushed and used as pigments in green paints for thousands of years.
