Caring for Your Malachite Jewelry

Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral and comes in a beautiful shade of deep green. Malachite has been mined all over the world but the main source of Malachite comes from Russia and the Urals. Here in the United States you will find Malachite being mined from the great state of Arizona.

On the gemstone hardness scale, Malachite ranks in at the 3 /12 to 4 level on hardness so it is considered a semi-delicate stone that needs to be properly cared for and protected so that it doesn't become damaged. Here are a few tips for caring for your beautiful Malachite jewelry pieces.

Because of the fact that Malachite is a rather delicate stone, it does have special cleaning requirements. Normally, it can be cleaned with a gentle commercial jewelry cleaner or a homemade jewelry cleaner that is mild.  Once you have cleaned your Malachite jewelry it is important to always towel dry your pieces with a soft cotton cloth. Do not store your gems wet.

Malachite jewelry is usually readily available in fine jewelry stores and you will often find this beautiful gem set into sterling silver. If you like it set into different metals; you can usually find some in gold, platinum and even stainless steel depending on the type of jewelry pieces you are seeking.

As with other delicate jewelry pieces, when it comes to storing your Malachite stone jewelry, they should be placed in a lined jewelry box and not stacked onto other pieces of jewelry. You do not want to ruin your fine gemstones with careless storage.

Next time you are looking for a unique and beautiful natural gemstone, consider Malachite jewelry and with these easy care tips, your jewelry and you will look stunning.

by Kaye Lefier, Contributing Editor at ChasingTreasure.com, online store specializing in wooden jewelry boxes and leather jewelry cases. Kaye is an avid Jewelry Collector and writes about Jewelry and Jewelry Trends.