Congo 'Malacolla' Malachite & Chrysocolla Polished Freeform Piece - 83mm, 174g

Congo 'Malacolla' Malachite & Chrysocolla Polished Freeform Piece - 83mm, 174g

Regular price £29.99 Sale

Locality – Democratic Republic of Congo
Size – 83 x 53 x 37mm
Weight – 174g

This malacolla freeform features gorgeous swirling, ribboning and orbicular patterns in light powder blue chrysacolla and deep forest green malachite tones, and there are some unique natural botryoidal vugs within the stone. It has been artistically shaped and sits nicely as a decor stone and, unlike solid malachite, it is surprisingly lightweight for its size. Malacolla is a unique multi-mineral blend of malachite and chrysocolla, making for a unique, multicoloured stone with exquisite patterns.


About Chrysocolla & Malachite

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.

Malachite is widely believed to be named after the Greek word 'malache' for 'mallow' because of its resemblance to the leaves of the mallow plant. Another theory is that the name could have originated in the Greek word, 'malakos', which means "soft", due to the fact that malachite is soft compared with other minerals (with a hardness of 3.5 - 4). Historically, it was popular in ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome where it was used for jewellery, amulets, sculptures, as a powder for eye shadow and a colouring pigment. Such pigment has been found in the paintings of Egyptian tombs and in paintings produced throughout Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries and is one of the oldest known green pigments ever to be used in paintings. Archaeological evidence indicates that the mineral has been mined and smelted to obtain copper at Timna Valley in Israel for over 3000 years, and in Egypt for the same purpose as early as 4000BC. It has been believed throughout history to be a protection against the evil eye and was often given to children to wear to protect them from having nightmares.


Malacolla Care

Since malacolla usually has a delicate host rock, It should be handled with great care and kept away from contact with harder minerals. Care for your crystals well, and these natural treasures can last a lifetime (and more)!