Malachite is a green stone exhibiting both light and dark green bands, sometimes with almost rounded black swirls of color which are called "bullets". These bands or loosly formed circles of color are so distinctive that malachite is one of the most easily recognized minerals. It's name comes from the Greek word malache or malakos, which means "mallow", a green leafy herb. A popular stone with both the Greeks and Romans, it was used for sculptures and vases, ground into a green pigment and used for jewelry.
Malachite was used extensively in Czarist Russia and was used in the columns of St. Isaac's Cathedral in Leningrad. Malachite Folklore and legend ...
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