A type of copper
ore that shows bands or bulls-eye patterns of shades of bright green. The biggest sources are Namibia
, but it can also be found in the U.S.
Very rarely crystal
s are found, but usually the opaque gemstone
is cut flat or cabochon if it's going into a setting, or carved into everything from beads to boxes.
The stone will take a high polish, but is not too popular for jewelry because it has a low rating on the Mohs hardness scale (between 3.5 and 4) and also, being a metal ore, is quite heavy. (My necklace of malachite beads gives me a neckache if I wear it for long.)
It is nearly the same chemical composition as the less-common blue azurite and sometimes can be found in blue and green stripes or blotches in the same stone.