Green Malachite with Chrysocolla

An outstanding piece of malachite with chrysocolla from South Africa.

Malachite is soft and fragile so finding rough pieces in good condition can be a challenge.  It's found in many countries around the world but most of the finest material comes from Africa and the Ural Mountains of Russia.

Malachite was the first ore of copper and has been used by man for thousands of years.  Cutting and polishing must be done carefully because its dust is toxic. 

It was being mined as an ore of copper at the Great Orme Mines in Llandudno in Wales approximately 4000 years ago.  Tools made from granite and animal bones were used for digging.  They were likely to have come from the beach.

Azurite, chalcopyrite and possibly even native copper may also have been mined here.

Malachite was used as a pigment by the ancient Egyptians as early as the Fourth Dynasty [2613 - 2494 BC].  In China it was also being used by the Shāng people [c.1500 BC].