Malachite: meaning, properties and lore

The mineral

Gemological Institute of America records the formula as a basic carbonate of copper, and identifies a blue-green spherical inclusion in agate from the Yanyuan region of Sichuan as malachite with that formula. Its identity was confirmed by Raman analysis and EDXRF testing, which showed a copper-bearing material.¹²³⁴⁵

Malachite has a monoclinic crystal structure and a low Mohs hardness of 3.5–4.0. The Gemological Institute of America describes it as the weathered form of the blue parent mineral azurite, with a similar chemical formula. Malachite and azurite are rarely found exclusive from one another and form in exposed areas of copper ore.²

Malachite occurs as banded green aggregates and, more rarely, as transparent dark green crystals. Transparent crystals are uncommon. Its green colour comes from its copper content, and in Cochapata it appears as light green material with a banded or brecciated structure. Malachite stalactites up to 5 cm long are the rarest form found at Cochapata, and some were sliced to show an agate-like structure.¹⁴

Malachite forms as pseudomorphs that replaced azurite crystals in a highly oxidizing environment, so it is more abundant than azurite because azurite crystals were gradually pseudomorphed into it. Malachite is sometimes deposited as the base layer, with a thin layer of azurite forming atop it as the final layer. Pseudomorphs from the Milpillas mine in Mexico range from light to dark green and tend to form blocky crystals, from one to ten inches in size.⁶

Malachite is found in deposits in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, with huge quantities coming every year. In Peru, malachite from Cochapata is found in oxidized copper veins on a steep hill in the Cotabambas Province, about 50 km southwest of Cuzco. A malachite-azurite-gypsum mixture was found in Peru's Moquegua region in 2012. Attractive azurite-malachite mixtures are known mainly from old finds in Bisbee and Morenci, Arizona.⁴

The colour of malachite pigment depends on particle size: fine grains give a milky pastel, while coarse particles give a radiant hue. Malachite and azurite have been found together in single specimens.²⁵¹

History and lore

Pliny the Elder describes malachite in Natural History, Book 37, as an opaque stone of a rather deep green shade. He says it owes its name to its colour, which is that of the mallow, and records that it is warmly recommended because it makes an accurate impression as a signet. He also says malachite has a natural property that is a prophylactic against danger.⁷

Trevisa wrote that malachite is a green stone like smaragdus and takes its name from the colour of malawes. The name malachite is derived from the Greek word malache, meaning marsh mallow, from its resemblance to the soft green leaves of that plant. The Egyptian name for malachite, as well as for other green stones, was mafek. In ancient texts the stone was known as lapis Armenus.⁵⁸⁹

Malachite was well known to the ancient Egyptians, with malachite mines worked between Suez and Sinai as early as 4000 B.C. The Egyptians greatly favoured malachite, and antique cameos and intaglios of it have often been found patinated by age. Malachite pigment can be traced to ancient Egypt, where it was used as an eye paint during the predynastic period, from 6000 BCE to 3100 BCE, according to Gettens and FitzHugh (1993b).⁸⁵²

Malachite was ascribed in lore to a range of effects. The Magic and Science of Jewels and Stones records that the Egyptians held it to be efficacious in cholera and rheumatism, and that it was said to strengthen the stomach, head and kidneys. Papyrus 3027 of the Berlin Museum, dating from about the fifteenth century B.C., gives directions for using malachite as an amulet bead for a sick child. Malachite was called the Sleep Stone from its reputation for charming the wearer to sleep.⁵⁹

The Curious Lore of Precious Stones describes malachite amulets in Italy. In parts of Italy such as Bettona, malachite was worn as an amulet against the Evil Eye and called peacock-stone for its resemblance to a peacock's tail. Amulets were usually triangular and mounted in silver. In some parts of Germany, malachite shared with turquoise the repute of protecting the wearer from danger in falling, and gave warning of disaster by breaking into pieces.⁸

Malachite has been used extensively as a decorative material since antiquity. It was vitally important in European easel painting from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries, until copper greens such as verdigris and copper resinate rose. Synthetic green pigments replaced malachite around 1800, according to Bergslien (2012). Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted Chrysanthemums using green malachite pigment in the later nineteenth century.²

Vitruvius, in The Ten Books on Architecture, says malachite green is brought from Macedonia and is dug up in the neighbourhood of copper mines. He lists it among costly colours that are made exceptions in contracts to be furnished by the employer rather than the contractor. Ure, in Cooley's Cyclopaedia, ranked malachite with lapis lazuli, jasper and agate among ornamental stones rather than among the most valuable gems.¹⁰¹¹

Birthstone and zodiac links

Malachite is not officially recognized as a birthstone for any month, according to crystal practitioners. Crystal practitioners also say it is sometimes associated with the zodiac sign Capricorn, from December 22 to January 19, a link they describe as modern.¹²¹³

What crystal practitioners say

Crystal practitioners associate malachite with the mind and emotions. They say it is a stone of transformation that helps overcome fears and emotional blockages. Its energy is described as supporting emotional growth by releasing suppressed feelings and guiding users through personal transformation. Crystal healers say it is said to inspire confidence and resilience, helping individuals confront challenges and embrace change.¹⁴¹³

Practitioners associate malachite with protection. Crystal healers hold that it is reputed to protect against the Evil Eye, witchcraft, and evil spirits. Some practitioners consider it a protective stone that neutralizes negative influences and serves as a talisman or amulet. Malachite is believed to protect children when attached to the cradle or worn as an amulet. Advocates describe it as absorbing negative energy and shielding against emotional or energetic disturbances.¹⁵¹⁴¹³

Practitioners associate malachite with love and money. It is believed to attract money and is therefore favorable to traders and businessmen. Mothers and midwives in Bavaria wear malachite in rings or as necklaces, and it is believed to help children's dentition, according to The Magic and Science of Jewels and Stones. Practitioners add that the stone is a powerful cleanser for the emotional body, best used by a qualified healer.¹⁵⁹

Practitioners say malachite should be cleansed by smudging it with sage or palo santo rather than using water, because of its delicate nature. Proponents recommend charging it by placing it under moonlight, where the gentle lunar energy is said to revitalize the stone. Practitioners believe it absorbs negative energies and pollutants from the environment and the body, and that it clears electromagnetic smog.¹³¹²¹⁵

Crystal healers claim that malachite helps with several physical and emotional matters. The Healing Crystals First Aid Book, written by healing crystal practitioners, says it helps with gall bladder colic and releases suppressed feelings, repressed irritations, anger and aggressions. The same book holds that it helps with problems associated with sexuality or femininity by bringing repressed feelings into the open. It is believed to relieve pains when tumbled stones or slices are placed on the aching area.¹⁶

Practitioners recommend malachite in birth support, as a stone to hold in the hand or place on the pubic bone to support contractions, according to The Healing Crystals First Aid Book. The same book suggests placing a tumbled stone or polished stone over the uterus, or taking gem essence (7-9 drops when necessary), for use in menstrual problems.¹⁶

What testing has found

Edzard Ernst, in his analysis of 150 complementary and alternative treatments, concluded that rigorous trials of crystal healing's therapeutic value do not exist. He wrote that the French study did not test that value and that scientific proof of any effect beyond placebo is lacking. Ernst attributed apparent successes to the strong placebo effect and to believers' cognitive bias.¹⁷

In the study one group held genuine crystals and the other held fake plastic ones. Participants could not tell real quartz crystals from fake ones, and both groups were as likely to report the sensations they had been told to expect. Researchers concluded that the power of suggestion, not the crystals, produced the reports.¹⁷¹⁸¹⁹

Ted Kaptchuk argues that dismissing all placebo effects diminishes knowledge of important dimensions of health care. Few studies have compared crystal therapy with other therapies or explained how it works.¹⁸

Jarry argues that alternative medicine's reputation benefits from non-specific placebo effects, since people who feel better after using crystals may testify to improvement without knowing what would have happened otherwise. Crystal healers and other alternative medicine practitioners often show empathy and emphasise discussion with the patient, which can create an ideal therapeutic environment.¹⁷¹⁸