What does natural malachite look like?

It was not for nothing that Pavel Bazhov called the collection of tales “Malachite Box”. And the picturesqueness of the stone is inevitably associated with the colors of a magical forest. In this material, among the facts about the mineral and the history of its use, it was impossible to do without colorful comparisons. Malachite is mesmerizing and we eagerly immersed ourselves in all its shades of green.

Name and deposit

The name of the stone comes from the Greek word “malache” – “mallow”, since its color resembles the leaves of this plant. The second option is “malakos”, which means “soft”, which also characterizes the mineral. The mining of malachite is inextricably linked with the mining of copper ore. From approximately every 10 thousand tons of ore, 100 kg of ornamental malachite is mined. It is one of the main copper minerals. Thanks to malachite, man opened the era of metallurgy and passed from the Stone Age to the Metal Age. And although in ancient centuries malachite mines were strategically important objects, now it is not practical to smelt ore from it. Nowadays, the mineral is mined mainly in the Congo. But the reserves of the famous Ural mines were depleted by active mining in the 20th century. An abandoned malachite mine in the Urals.

Physical properties of malachite

Malachite is formed when copper ores dissolve in cracks and voids in rocks. Water containing these compounds seeped through the rock. As the droplets evaporated, solid matter formed in the form of stalactites and stalagmites. On some fossil bronze objects one can see formations of this mineral. According to the chemical composition, malachite is copper(II) hydroxycarbonate. The structure resembles agate. It is pleochroic and produces three main colors: almost colorless, yellowish-green, and dense green.
Malachite is considered a malleable mineral – only 3.5-4 on the Mohs scale. Easily sanded, cut and polished. The downside of this property is fragility. Malachite is very susceptible to acid and can completely dissolve in it. It also melts quite easily. Despite this, if you hit an emerald with malachite, the latter will split. In any case, that’s what they thought in Arabian fairy tales.

Malachite from Congo

The geography of mining affects the pattern of the stone. African malachite has larger and regular concentric rings with contrasting alternation of light and dark zones.

Ural malachite

Ural malachite is more chaotic and with smooth transitions. They resemble a mixture

Malachite in arts and crafts

Malachite green – a common green pigment in Asia and Western Europe. In some other sources it is called “mountain greens”, or verde azzuro – “blue green”. This is a mineral pigment based on crushed malachite or malachite sand (earthy malachite). The pigment was in demand among artists. Architects of Egypt and Ancient Greece used malachite for cladding buildings and temples. The Egyptian pharaohs even ordered the construction of a temple to the goddess of love, Hathor, on the territory of one of the mines. Thus, over time, the celestial goddess acquired a new meaning – the patronage of miners and the “malachite land.” Also, powdered malachite was added to gum and green eye shadow was obtained, which was popular at one time among Egyptian women. In the Middle Ages, the mineral was inexpensive and amulets were made from it. It was believed that the green cross facilitates childbirth, drives away evil spirits, and the child shaded by this stone sleeps soundly, calmly and without nightmares. The golden time for malachite was the 19th century with the discovery of a deposit in the Urals. Stone has been used in small and large architectural forms. The monumentalism in the use of stone is amazing. Entire offices were lined with it! They say that Napoleon himself wanted to take away the malachite office of Count Rumyantsev. Malachite living room in the Hermitage “Russian mosaic“ – a technique in which malachite was sawn into thin plates and a pattern was assembled on metal and marble. Thanks to painstaking work, the impression of a monolithic product was created.

Jewelry with malachite

Now we invite you to look at jewelry with this picturesque stone!

Gold parure with malachite

Queen Sophia of Nassau of Sweden and Norway,

19 century

Antique malachite cameos. Here is something from the Magpie Shop collection. In Soviet jewelry, malachite was most often used in rings, less often in earrings, brooches, pendants, and bracelets.

Substitutes for malachite

Speaking about natural stones, the question of fakes also comes up. Despite the fact that there are many places where malachite is mined, it is much cheaper to make glass and plastic fakes. Increasingly, jewelry contains precisely such imitations, rather than natural minerals. But let’s take a closer look!

Natural substitutes for malachite

There are substitutes for malachite, which consist from the remains of natural stone (crumbs) and additives of various resins. This is pressed under high temperature, so the crumbs are partially destroyed and a brown color appears. It is the dirty, inexpressive green color that immediately gives away synthetic malachite. Natural mineral always has pure shades without brown impurities.

Synthetic imitations of malachite

Imitation malachite made of plastic It is quite easy to distinguish, firstly, it is much lighter. Secondly, the temperature of a natural mineral is always colder than the environment, while plastic, on the contrary, is warm. Also, if you scratch the supposed malachite with a knife, the natural stone will produce shavings and the core will be all green; if it is a plastic imitation, then the insides of the scratch will be white. This method, of course, is not suitable if you are just going to make a purchase. Therefore, it is worth focusing on appearance and temperature. The next type of fake is painted glass. You can distinguish it by the quality of the pattern and surface. The silky shine and texture of the stone cannot be faked; these are absolutely unique indicators. It is very difficult to draw these transitions-layers of green, so the fake will always look rough. You should not rely on such an indicator as temperature: for malachite and glass it will be the same. Malachite is also imitated by green enamel, a sticker with a mineral pattern is applied on top of it. It can be distinguished in the same way as glass. In addition to visual characteristics, you can take advantage of the chemical properties of the stone. Since this mineral is copper based, it dissolves in acid. If drop ammonia onto the surface of real malachite, it will turn blue. Plastic, glass, enamel will not give any reaction. Also, you can use citric acid,vinegar, in this case the surface of the stone will become bubbles. You need to be careful with such tests so as not to spoil the stone; do them only on the back side of the product. The most effective and simple way to learn to distinguish a fake from a natural mineral is to carefully familiarize yourself with a natural sample. Study it as thoroughly as possible – what is its color, depth, texture, tactile sensation. All these little things will help you make the right choice at the right time. MALACHITE is a mineral, copper carbonate with hydroxyl. It is an amazingly beautiful jewelry and ornamental stone, which is characterized by a rich dark green color. The mineral gained the widest popularity in Russia thanks to the Ural writer Pavel Bazhov. New items first
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