Hardness: 4.00
Refractive Index: 1.85
Specific Gravity: 3.80
Birthstone:
Astral Stone: Aries, Scorpio, Sagittarius
Anniversary Stone:
Origination: Although malachite is found worldwide, the most important sources today are the African nations of Namibia and Zaire.
Care & Cleaning: Malachite is a gem that should be handled with care. To clean, rub lightly with a soft polishing cloth. An optional dab of olive oil will produce a beautiful shine.
Fiction, Facts & Folklore:
Malachite is a found wherever copper is mined.
It is quite frequently found associated with azurite. In fact, malachite and azurite sometimes combine in the same stone to produced incredible bands of blue, black and green. However, this mixture is sporadic at best and seldom seen at retail.
An important malachite fine was uncovered in the Ural Mountains of the former Russia in the 18th century. Once considered the world�s most reliable source, these once extensive deposits are pretty much a thing of the past.
Synthetic malachite was first produced by the Russians.
In its heyday, Russian nobility wore malachite as a statement of their wealth.
Malachite was once used in columns and as a decorative inlay for some of the more prominent buildings in Moscow and other Russian cities. Some evidence of this still exists today.
Domestic sources for malachite include Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma.
Malachite in powder form was once used in the making of eye shadow.
Earlier cultures believed that malachite will reduce the labor of childbirth.
It was often placed around the neck of a baby to reduce the pain of cutting teeth.