Malachite, with its beautiful, rich green colour, leaves no doubt of its importance as a jewel. Its opaque strength and power demands respect, mesmerising the viewer. Yet the movement, flow and energy in its lines, circles and designs soothe and welcome.
The stone's name derives from Greek "mallow-green stone", Malachite was extensively mined at the Great Orme Mines in Britain 3,800 years ago, using stone and bone tools.
Archaeological evidence indicates that the mineral has been mined and smelted to obtain copper at Timma Valley, in Isreal for more than 3,000 years. Since then, malachite has been used as both an ornamental stone and as a gemstone.
Symbolism
Malachite is an extremely powerful metaphysical stone, Malachite is often called the “stone of transformation” and is used for deep energy cleaning, bringing healing and positive transformation to the wearer.
Malachite has historically been worn for protection from lightning and contagious diseases and for health, success, and constancy in the affections. During the Middle Ages it was customary to wear it engraved with a figure or symbol of the Sun to maintain health and to avert depression to which Capricorns were considered vulnerable.
Mines
Except for its vibrant green color, the properties of malachite are similar to those of azurite and aggregates of the two minerals occur frequently. Malachite is more common than azurite and is typically associated with copper deposits around limestones, the source of the carbonate.
Large quantities of malachite have been mined in the Urals, Russia. Ural malachite is not being mined at present, but G.N Vertushkova reports the possible discovery of new deposits of malachite in the Urals. It is found worldwide including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Gabon; Zambia; Tsumeb, Namibia; Mexico; Broken Hill, New Sourth Wales; Burra, South Australia; Lyon, France; Timna Valley, Isreal; and the Southwestern United States, most notably in Arizona.
How to maintain your malachite
To preserve its shine, malachite must be stored in a dry fabric-lined box separate from other jewelry. Contact with water should be avoided because it can damage the stone’s protective surface, dulling its shine.
At QUIYEE
QUIYEE selects malachite displaying straight, uniform veins, predominantly from the best mines in the world, we also work with the reputable workshop in Germany for stone cutting. The stone gleams alongside rose gold in the Mimosa En Mémoire collection, among other creations.
