The name Malachite comes from the Greek word "malache", which means a plant. It is opaque, ranging in color from light green to dark green in emerald shade. It owes its color to the presence of copper. It is characterised by visible lighter or darker thin stripes resulting from the different coloring of the visible layers of stone. In the past, most of the malachite used in jewellery came from copper mines in the Urals in Russia. 
Grindable malachite is also found in Australia, where it coexists with Azurite, which gives it a blue tint. It is also found in the United States and in African copper deposits in Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Jewellery from Malachite was already made by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.
Years ago, Malachite was attributed with antibacterial properties and was used to produce dishes. It was also believed that the color of Malachite soothes the nerves and calms emotions.
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