30cts, Malachite nugget, hook earrings, Sterling Silver (925)

30cts, Namibian Malachite nugget, 1.5" Sterling Silver (925), hook earrings.

Many cultures throughout history have prized Malachite. The green stone has been used in protective amulets, since ancient times. Perhaps its greatest appreciators were the Russian royals of the 19th century.

The Victorians were also great admirers of opaque jewellery stones, and malachite was one of their favourites. Victorian-era jewellers often used this material in small carvings, beads, and cabochons set in silver and, occasionally, gold.

This beautiful, vivid green gem gets its colour from copper. Invariably associated with copper ore deposits, malachite ranks as a minor copper ore, with 58% copper content. Its recovery generally occurs, at least on a large scale, as a sidelight of copper mining.

Malachite's characteristic swirling and concentric band patterns are a result of its formation process. Technically, malachite is usually a "secondary mineral," which means it's created by a chemical reaction between minerals that have already formed, rather than by a simple one-step process. Malachite may form when water containing carbon dioxide or dissolved carbonate minerals interacts with pre-existing copper-containing rocks or when solutions containing dissolved copper minerals interact with carbonate rocks. Malachite's swirls and bands reflect the waxing and waning of the solutions necessary for formation and the changes in their chemical content.

Each pair, comes beautifully gift-wrapped in one of our standard presentation boxes.

For that extra touch of luxury, why not choose one of our solid wood boxes, which can be engraved with a message, to make the gift even more special.