M536 - Malachite, Polished Top, Africa.

Beautiful dark green polished Malachite. Malachite is classified as a carbonate and is a Basic Copper Carbonate. Hardness 3-1/2 to 4. Used extensively in jewelry. Malachite is a secondary copper mineral and develops in the zone of alteration in massive, lode, and disseminated hydrothermal replacement deposits. Associated minerals are azurite, limonite, and chalcopyrite.