Malachite is a green stone with irregular bands of lighter and darker green. The name malachite comes from the Greek word malache which means mallow, for the mallow leaf of the same hue. Copper mining is responsible for most malachite discoveries as it is a copper carbonate. Usually. it results from water seeping through the earth’s surface causing copper sulfides (along with other minerals) to be converted into malachite and other materials. The resulting substances are deposited in the oxidized levels of copper ore. Unfortunately, greedy copper miners have exploited large deposits of malachite to extract its copper content and increase their yield.

Gem cutters pay special attention to orienting malachite in order to showcase the interesting layers and markings. This makes the stone popular for objets d’art, jewelry, inlay, and other ornaments.