Malachite is one of my favorite gemstones. It has been used as a gemstone for centuries, and has even been used as a building material. One of its first uses was when Ancient Egyptians ground it up into a powder for use as a cosmetic. It is characterized by intense shades of green in alternating bands and swirls. It takes an excellent polish, but can be scratched pretty easily because of its relative softness. It is often found on copper mine dumps. It forms in copper deposits and is also precipitated as crusts and veins by copper bearing solutions.

In the past, a big source of this mineral was Russia (specifically the Urals), but now most material comes out of various countries in Africa.

I've heard that the dust from it is bad for you, so make sure to keep it wet if cutting. Also be prepared for some frustration, as sometimes it breaks along the striations during lapidary work. If you are polishing jewelry with malachite in it, you should be careful not to accidentally touch the stone to your polishing wheel, as a small touch can equal a ruined stone.