Lab Created Malachite SMALTM

Lab Grown Malachite

Malachite is an opaque, green-streaked mineral mainly composed of copper carbonate and other elements. The mineral forms underground but there are proven methods to make lab-grown malachite with similar features.

Lab-grown malachite has every intricate fracture and appearance you can find in its natural variants. Synthetic malachite is so identical to the real thing that gemologists require advanced tests to tell the difference.

These lab-made gemstones are ideal as jewelry adornments since they possess unique features like acicular prisms or azurite crystal formations. Many lab malachite crystals are also useful for much more than effects on jewelry.

In this article, you’ll get vital information about lab malachite, its origins, how to make it, and other essential details.

History of Malachite

Malachite mining deposits were common around the Sinai and Suez regions from as early as 4000BC. Other early mining locations of natural malachite are the Great Orme Mines over 3,500 where miners used crude tools to extract the mineral.

Many mining locations in Israel, Britain, and North Africa served the international demand for natural malachite through its earliest years of discovery.

How is Lab-Grown Malachite Made?

Lab-grown malachite forms when supergene weathering takes place along with the oxidation of sulfuric copper cores. Most lab-grown malachite occurs with calcite, goethite, or azurite since these crystals since these elements thrive in the same environment.

Scientists adopt the weathering processes in a controlled space, oxidize sulfur cores, and include main elements to form malachite.

Uses of Lab Malachite

Lab-grown malachite is useful as adornments on jewelry pieces, fittings on luxury art, and so much more. Synthetic malachite doesn’t have a strong Mohs rating and can only be useful for decorative purposes.

Chemical Properties of Lab Malachite

• Main element(s) formula: Cu2CO3 (OH) 2
• Crystal system: Monoclinic
• Typical colors: Bright green, dark green, blackish green, crystal deep shades of green, dark black bands in masses; green to yellowish green under transmitted light
• Cleavage: Perfect to fair
• Fracture: Sub-conchoidal to uneven
• Mohs scale hardness: 3.5 – 4
• Luster: Adamantine to vitreous
• Common streaks: Light green
• Diaphaneity: Translucent to opaque
• Specific gravity: 3.6 – 4
• Optical properties: Biaxial
• Refractive index: 1.655 – 1.909
• Birefringence: 0.254

Maintenance Tips for Lab Malachite

You can maintain your lab-grown malachite with:

Proper storage – Store gem pieces in airtight boxes to prevent contact with dirt or oils.

Commercial jewelry cleaners – Apply jewelry cleaner on the gemstone’s surface and rub in with a soft cotton cloth, rinse in water, and then allow to air dry before use or storage

Liquid soap and water cleaning – Mix liquid soap in water and rub dirt off your crystal with soft cloth; ideal for removing common stains from most gem pieces

Make sure you never expose malachite to ammonia-rich commercial jewelry cleaners. Some commercial jewelry cleaners with ammonia might weaken or damage the internal structure of your malachite gems.

Also, malachite crystals may react poorly to jeweler’s torch rays and ingredients in some highly-concentrated liquid soap solutions.

Consult an experienced jeweler for more information before you choose a way to maintain your malachite. Seeking information from qualified professionals is the only way to ensure your crystal appears brilliant for much longer.