Malachite is a minor ore of copper, but its principal use is as an ornamental material and gemstone. In ancient China, it was highly prized and called shill, taking its name from its source near Shilu, Guangdong Province. In the 19th century, huge deposits in the Ural Mountains of Russia supplied large amounts of malachite to Europe, with some single masses weighing up to 51 tonnes. It was worn in Italy as protection against the ‘evil eye’.

Long before it became admired in Europe, Malachite played a key role in ancient Egyptian rituals. The hieroglyph used to represent Malachite (wadj- meaning green) symbolized vegetation, new life and fertility. Egyptians recognized the cycle of vegetation, meaning that death and resurrection were part of the circle of life, as humans would enter a paradise upon death, often described as the “field of malachite”.

More than its symbolism, Malachite was prized for its healing value (eye diseases) and often used for eye make-up (Cleopatra – Queen of the shades). Additionally, historians have found artefacts showing that Malachite was highly priced as well amongst early Aztec cultures and in ancient China.

After the downfall of the Egyptian empire, Malachite was used as a mineral pigment to create green paint (similar to ultramarine from Lapis) until the 19th century, when it came a favorite for decorative purpose given its iridescent shades of green and soft moldable complexion.

Like a renaissance, Malachite found its greatest admirers in the sophisticated courts of imperial Russia in the early 1900s. Russian tsars and princesses have dedicated national tales and entire halls of their palaces to this gemstone.

One of the grandest of all imperial palaces, the Winter Palace in St Petersburg features a stately salon decorated with Malachite, which was commissioned by Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna in 1830. It was in this room where the brides of Russia’s imperial family, the Romanovs, were traditionally dressed by the Tsarina before their weddings. Centrepieces of the Malachite room are the grand fireplace and an alley of columns along its sides, entirely made from the most stunning Malachite. More breathtaking architecture featuring Malachite can be found in the St Isaac’s Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Sources:

Hurtaud, François. “Malachite: The Gemstone, Its Meaning, History and Uses.” MYKU, 1 Aug. 2018, www.myku.co/blogs/journal/malachite-the-gemstone-its-meaning-history-and-uses#:~:text=Possibly%20the%20earliest%20ore%20off,and%20the%20colouring%20of%20glass.