MALACHITE

Did you know?

Malachite was the metal of Venus and the ancient followers of the goddess were attributing important powers to the stone. In Roma, it was named the peacock stone, which was the emblem of the goddess Juno. Often cut in a triangle, Malachite had to power to repeal the evil eye.

3 Facts About Malachite

Associated with Venus, it is said that Malachite attracts love. Attached onto the cradle or worn as an amulet, it is believed to protect children.

Also called "the merchant stone", Malachite is believed to attract greenbacks, therefore favorable to traders and businessmen.

According to Russian legend, one would learn the language of animals by drinking in a Malachite concoction.

Description

Possibly the earliest ore off copper, having been mined in the Sinai and eastern deserts of ancient Egypt from as early as 3000BC, malachite is a green copper carbonate hydroxide. It was used as an eye paint, a pigment for wall painting, and in glazes and the colouring of glass. Single crystals are uncommon; when found, they are short to long prismatic. Usually found as botryoidal or encrusting masses, often with a radiating fibres structure and banded in various shades of green, malachite is also found as delicate fibrous aggregates and as concentrically banded stalactites. Its name comes from the Greek for “mallow”, in reference to its leaf-green colour. It is a minor ore of copper, but its principal use is as an ornamental material and gemstone.

Legend & Folklore

Reputed to protect against the Evil Eye, witchcraft, and evil spirits, this stone is a powerful cleanser for the emotional body, releasing past-life or childhood trauma, but is best used by a qualified healer. It mercilessly shows what is blocking the spiritual growth, drawing out deep feelings and psychosomatic causes, breaking unwanted ties and outworn patterns, and teaching how to take responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and feelings. An important protection stone, Malachite absorbs negative energies and pollutants from the environment and the body, soaking up plutonium and radiation and clearing electromagnetic smog. Malachite has a strong affinity with devic forces and heals the earth.

The Enigmatic Tales & Symbolism Of Malachite

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). Beyond the Orient, 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. Centerpieces 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.

Beyond its mythological and physical significance, one of Russia’s most popular folk tales, “The Malachite casket”, is dedicated to the beauty and mysteries associated with the stone. Written in 1938, the story is about a girl named Tanyushka, who receives a malachite casket filled with jewelry, given to her by her deceased father. Throughout the story it becomes clear that the casket was given to Tanyushka’s father by the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, who may have been Tanyushka real mother. Being a changeling, a child of the mountain spirit and a mortal, Tanyushka is described as a mysterious and inhumanly beautiful. The tale remains immensely popular and has been adapted in a multitude of movies.

One does not need to know all the legends surrounding Malachite to be taken in by its beauty. One glimpse of its deep, hypnotizing shades of green; its strong, characterful graining awakens the desire felt for this stone throughout centuries.

MYKU is proud to bring back this eccentric aesthete of gemstones in our second, highly limited series of Malachite.

Behind the scene

All of our products are designed and developed in house, from the initial sketch to prototype. Cutting stones to reveal the inner, layered beauty which takes millions of years to form, requires high precision and meticulous skills from our craftsmen in Germany. Each cut results in a unique stone face. It is then sent to our Swiss partner who carefully crafted every mechanism of the watch. Our close collaborations are built on experience and expertise in different areas alongside a shared passion for detail.