ABOUT MALACHITE AS USED IN ESTATE JEWELRY AND VINTAGE JEWELRY

Malachite, with its bands of varying shades of green, is beautiful and economical. Malachite has perfect cleavage and very low hardness.

HISTORY
As early as 3000 B.C., malachite was recovered from the copper mines in Egypt and Israel. Malachite was found to have been used for jewelry, amulets and ornaments. It was also found to have been ground into powder and worn as green eye make-up.

ESTATE JEWELRY HISTORY
Malachite is popular with contemporary estate jewelry.

Estate large, blingy malachite 18kt yellow gold ring

LEGENDS
In Italy, it was worn as an amulet against the evil eye.

FORMATION
Malachite seldom occurs in visible crystals, but is usually massive or fibrous. The massive variety which is banded into green hues is considered the most attractive for jewelry. Malachite, copper carbonate, is always green because copper causes the color and is intrinsic to the mineral.

AREAS FOUND
Zaire is the major producer of malachite. It is also found in Russia, Zambia, Namibia, Arizona, New Mexico and Australia.

HARDNESS
With a hardness of 3.5 to 4.5, on the Mohs' Scale, malachite has a very low hardness and is therefore easy to break or scratch. Malachite is sometimes impregnated with wax or epoxy to improve the polish and hide small cracks.

ESTATE JEWELRY AND VINTGE JEWELRY CARE INSTRUCTIONS
Never clean malachite with an ultrasonic cleaner. Malachite is sensitive to heat, acids and ammonia. To clean, wipe with lukewarm soapy water and rinse.

CUTS
Often cut into cabochon, beads, carvings and inlaid work.

TECHNICAL DATA
Refractive Index 1.85
Specific Gravity: 3.6 - 4.1
Cleavage: perfect
Hardness: 3.5 - 4.5

MOHS' SCALE
The measure of relative hardness, Mohs' Scale defines common stones and minerals for the hardness and durability. Hardness is one measure of the strength of the mineral relative to its chemical bonds. It is not the same as brittleness, which is related to the structure of the mineral. Hardness is tested by scratching. Using Mohs' Scale, the higher the number, the harder the mineral. Talc (used to write on chalkboards) is defined as the softest mineral and is given the value of 1. Diamonds are the hardest and are given the value of 10.

Mohs Scale is as follows:
1. Talc
2. Gypsum
3. Calcite
a copper penny
3.5 - 4.5 Malachite
4. Fluorite
5. Apatite
window glass or a typical knife blade
6. Orthoclase
6 to 6.5 - Nephrite
6.5 - 7 - Jadeite
a good steel knife
7. Quartz - Citrine - Amethyst
8. Topaz
9. Corundum - Rubies - Sapphires
10. Diamond

SPECIFIC GRAVITY
The specific gravity is the ration of the density of an object when compared to water. In the simplest testing, it is simply the weight of a mineral compared to its volume. The volume of the stone is measured by the amount of water in displaces.