The green color (Greek "malache" = malwe), perhaps also the low hardness (gs. "malakos" = soft) gave the malachite the name. In fracture or ground, aggregates cine banding of lighter and darker layers with
concentric rings, straight stripes or any figurative images due to the skinning structure. Rarely, larger monochrome pieces are obtained. Translucent in thin plates, otherwise opaque. Coloring substance is copper. Crystals are rare, usually dense, fibrous-fine crystalline aggregates. In the raw piece, low glass gloss or matte, on fresh fracture surfaces and polished silk gloss. Malachite is sensitive to heat and acids, ammonia and hot baths.
Occurrences as rounded tubers, trusty, cone-shaped or stalactitic, rarely in flat crusts. Created from copper-containing solutions on or near ore deposits. The most famous deposits used to be in the Urals near Yekaterinburg (Sverdlovsk). Blocks up to over 20 + weight provided the fractures. Here the Russian tsars won the malachite for the design of their castles, for wall panelling and magnificent inlays.
Today, besides Zambia Shaba (Katanga) in Zaire, the most important malachite producer is. Other occurrences in Australia (Queensland, New South Wales), Chile, Namibia, Zimbabwe, USA (Arizona).
Malachite was already popular with the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans as a gemstone, amulet and, to powder, as eye make-up. It was used as a dye for mountain greenery.
Despite its low hardness and sensitivity, Malachite is nowadays a sought-after jewellery and decorative stone. Used as cabochon, as a lightly muzzled table stone, for necklaces and especially for artistic objects such as plates, cans, ashers and sculptures. The grinder must express the natural stiffening of the malachite as decoratively as possible. Popular are eye-like concentric rings (called malachite peacock's eye). Due to the low hardness, malachite is slightly scratched and sometimes matt. The surface can be hardened with synthetic resin.
The processing of malachite is somewhat problematic after it has become known that it is disbly pouring copper and nickel into the environment as dust.
large pieces due to the training at issue, but in the case of small, unbanded stones with opaque green gemstones.