A type of
copper ore that shows bands or bulls-eye patterns of shades of bright green. The biggest sources are
Namibia and
Congo, but it can also be found in the
U.S. Very rarely
crystals 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.