Natural Congo Chrysocolla and Malachite 'Malacolla' Specimen - 49mm, 57g

Natural Congo Chrysocolla and Malachite 'Malacolla' Specimen - 49mm, 57g

Regular price £19.99 Sale

Locality - Kalukuluku, Congo
Size – 49 x 43 x 41mm
Weight – 57g

This unique mineral specimen displays high contrast with vivid sky blue chrysocolla and malachite ranging from light mint green through to deep forest green in intricate mottled patterns.  It has exquisite formation with a sparkling malachite-lined vug through one side and gentle bubbly botryoidal textures across its surface.

Chrysocolla is rather fragile so should be handled minimally and with great care and used primarily for display and collection purposes. Though we package with great care, upon arrival, it should be unpacked carefully.


About Chrysocolla

Chrysocolla is a hydrous copper silicate – a member of a small group of copper-bearing gems that includes malachite, azurite, larimar, sunstone, tourmaline and turquoise - typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses or bubbly crusts, jackstraw mats of tiny acicular crystals or tufts of fibrous crystals. The name was first used by Theophrastus in 315 B.C. and comes from the Greek chrysos, meaning "gold," and kolla, meaning "glue," referring to its use as a flux in soldering gold. Pure chrysocolla is opaque and is found in various shades of blue and green. It is often found with traces of copper, iron and manganese oxide, or mixed with other secondary copper minerals such as malachite, azurite, turquoise, opal or quartz. On its own, chrysocolla is very soft and fragile (with a hardness of only 2), but when mixed with these other minerals becomes harder (at 6.5 – 7), more durable and also shows unique patterns in a wide range of colours. Deposits are found in Chile, Israel, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Nevada and D.R. Congo.