as noted above Malachite not uncommon- 

 ly occurs in tufts and rosettes incrusting 

 other minerals. This is an especially 

 common occurrence in mines in Arizona 

 and affords specimens of great beauty 

 especially when the green tufts of mala- 

 chite are seen upon brown limonite, for 

 then the appearance of moss on wood is 

 closely simulated. Such material is of 

 course too fragile to be used for decora- 

 tive purposes. 



Malachite is prepared for ornamental 

 use by sawing masses of the character 

 of those previously referred to into thin 

 strips which are then fastened as a ven- 

 eer on vessels of copper, slate or other 

 stone previously turned to the desired 

 shape. Putting pieces together so that 

 neither by their outlines nor color will it 

 appear that they are patchwork requires 

 a high degree of skill and such work is 

 done almost exclusively in Russia. Table 

 tops, vases and various other vessels 

 are manufactured in this way and form 

 objects of great beauty. The pillars of 

 the Church of Isaac in St. Petersburg 

 are of malachite prepared in this way 

 and there are similar pillars in the 

 Church of St. Sophia, Constantinople, 

 said to have been taken from the Temple 

 of Diana at Ephesus. 



Occasionally the desired object can 

 be turned from a single piece of mala- 

 chite, but pieces of sufficient size for this 

 purpose are rare. Bauer describes one 

 piece found in the Gumeschewsk mines 

 which was 17 1-2 feet long, 8 feet broad 

 and 31-2 feet high and compact 

 throughout. This is probably the larg- 

 est single mass known. 



Russia furnishes most of the malachite 

 suitable for work of this kind and the 

 art of cutting and fitting the stone is 

 possessed almost exclusively in that 

 country. Most of the Russian malachite 

 has been obtained from the mines of 

 Nischne-Tagilsk and Bogoslowsk in the 

 northern Urals, or Gumeschewsk in the 

 southern. The supply has gradually de- 



creased till now only the Nischne-Ta- 

 gilsk mines are productive. The mala- 

 chite is said to occur there in veins in 

 limestone. 



Besides the Urals, fine malachite suit- 

 able for cutting comes from Australia. 

 Burra Burra in New South Wales and 

 Peak Downs in Queensland are locali- 

 ties whence good Australian malachite 

 is obtained. 



Malachite as a mineral is common in 

 copper mines in the United States but it 

 is only in Arizona that it is found of a 

 quality suitable for cutting. A variety 

 from Morenci, Arizona, consists of mala- 

 chite and azurite and gives a combina- 

 tion of green and blue that is unique and 

 pleasing. (See colored plate.) Less 

 use has been made of such material for 

 ornamental purposes than might have 

 been for most of it has unfortunately 

 been smelted as a copper ore. 



Malachite is rarely used for rings or 

 small jewels but is cut into earrings, 

 bracelets, inkstands and similar objects. 

 Art objects of malachite seem to have 

 been in much favor with Russian em- 

 perors as gifts to contemporaneous sov- 

 ereigns, and so bestowed are to be seen 

 in numerous palaces in Europe. Per- 

 haps the most famous of these gifts is 

 the set of center tables, mantel pieces, 

 ewers, basins and vases presented by the 

 Emperor Alexander to Napoleon and 

 still to be seen in an apartment of the 

 Grand Trianon at Versailles. 



Malachite was well known to the an- 

 cients and like other precious stones was 

 worn as an amulet. It was called psendu- 

 emerald by Theophrastus. Its -name is 

 from the Greek malake, the word for mal- 

 lows and was given doubtless on account 

 of its green color. 



Azurite, the blue mineral which often 

 accompanies malachite is likewise a hy- 

 drous carbonate of copper and occasion- 

 ally occurs so that it can be used with 

 malachite for ornamental purposes. 

 Oliver Cummings Farrington. 



128 



