Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral with swirling bands of green. Polished beads are fine to wear; it is only dust from cutting or drilling the raw stone that needs care.
Carbonate
Malachite
Malaquita
- Palette
- Green
- Mined in
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Namibia, Russia, Australia, United States
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–4.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Greek molochites lithos, 'mallow-green stone', for mallow leaves
- Also sold as
- green copper ore, copper carbonate
- Intention
- Protection New Beginnings
- Looking for
- Safe travels Protection Change and decisions Courage
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Malachite beads are natural stone, but the surface is usually sealed with wax or resin to hold the polish. Some strands sold as malachite are reconstituted powder or imitation.
Not in our pieces now
1,760 TONNES
The Great Orme mine in Wales is estimated to have yielded 1,760 tonnes of Bronze Age copper, dug out as malachite with stone and bone tools.
8 KILOMETERS
Digs since 1987 at the Great Orme copper mine in Wales have uncovered over 8 kilometers of prehistoric tunnels.
CLIFFE CASTLE
A chimneypiece of Ural malachite from Cliffe Castle was shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.
What it is
A deep to bright green copper carbonate with swirling bands and rings of lighter and darker green, a little like marble. It polishes to a soft, glossy shine and is opaque, so each bead has its own pattern.
What gives it its color
Malachite is green because it is a copper carbonate; the copper gives it its green.
Where it comes from
Most malachite for beads and cabochons today comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Katanga, Kolwezi, Kasompi Mine); the Ural Mountains of Russia were the big historic source, and smaller amounts come from Zambia, Namibia, Arizona and Australia.
In history
People mined malachite near the Isthmus of Suez and in Sinai about 6,000 years ago, and at the Great Orme in Wales about 3,800 years ago. In 19th-century Russia the Demidov family's malachite pieces, such as the 1819 Demidov Vase now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, were prized diplomatic gifts of Tsar Nicholas I. Malachite pieces also formed the funerary mask found in a 7th-century Maya tomb at Palenque.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, malachite is the stone of protection for travellers, and a stone of transformation. People keep it when they want to be true to themselves.
Ancient Egyptians mined it by 4000 BC, and an old story says a pharaoh's headdress was lined with it so he would rule wisely. People wear it on the wrist or tuck it in a travel bag.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, in a travel bag, or in carry-on luggage.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, malachite is paired with the heart chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, in a travel bag. People reach for it when they want safe travels, protection, change and decisions, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraHeart
ZodiacCapricorn, Scorpio
ElementFire
Also calledgreen copper ore, copper carbonate
Care
- Soft and somewhat brittle, so it scratches and chips easily; keep it away from knocks and harder stones.
- Wipe with a soft, barely damp cloth and dry at once; do not soak, and skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners.
- Keep away from acids (including some cleaners, perfume and sweat build-up) and from heat, which damage the surface.
- Polished beads are considered safe to wear, but avoid breathing dust if it is ever cut, drilled or ground, because malachite contains copper.
How to tell what you have
- Real malachite is cool, heavy and soft, with varied banding. Repeating or perfectly even patterns and very light beads point to reconstituted or imitation material.
- Keep it out of ultrasonic cleaners, hot water, acids and ammonia, which strip the coating. Malachite dust is toxic if breathed or swallowed, so never sand or cut it dry.
What sets the price
The price follows how distinct and varied the green banding is, the bead size and polish, and whether the beads are natural stone or reconstituted powder pressed together; natural malachite is modestly priced because it is abundant.
Rules and sourcing
Malachite beads are natural stone, but the surface is usually sealed with wax or resin, and some strands are reconstituted powder or imitation. A seller should disclose the sealing and call reconstituted material what it is.
Questions people ask at our table
What is malachite?
A green copper carbonate mineral found with copper deposits. Its banding and rings make each polished bead different.
Is malachite safe to wear?
Polished jewelry is considered safe. The concern is dust from cutting, drilling or grinding the raw stone, because it contains copper, so avoid breathing dust if it is ever worked.
Is it natural or dyed?
Malachite is naturally green and needs no dye. Imitations exist in the bead trade, so ask your seller to name the stone.
Can malachite get wet?
Keep it dry. It is soft, sensitive to acids and does not like soaking, so wipe it with a soft cloth instead.
Where does malachite come from?
Most gem material comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Namibia, Russia, Zambia, Australia and the American Southwest as other sources.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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