FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Matt_Zukowski]

I read Ed Conway's Material World substack, and his current topic is about running out of malachite, at least as a lapidary material. Is this true?

https://edconway.substack.com/p/lost-materials-1-malachite

[James Catmur]

I doubt it, and we can always manufacture it if we really need to

[alfredo]

Malachite is one of the most common minerals, but if we limit the discussion to lapidary grade malachite, that is much less common. Used to come from Russia (deposits exhausted?), and currently from the Congo. Has anywhere else in the world yielded lapidary pieces? (I'm sure there must be other sources that I'm not aware of.)

As malachite is probably the most toxic lapidary material in common use, both for the workers who have to cut and polish it, as well as for any toddlers who might swallow a juicy-looking malachite bead, a future shortage of the stuff might not be so bad ;))

[Linus]

Bisbee supplied some of the most gorgeous velvety malachite on the planet, long since exhausted, alas...