MALACHITE.
Malachite,
or "vert de montagne," is a hydrated carbonate of copper, or rather " a
stalagmitic form of the green carbonate of copper " found in Siberia,
Norway, and the Ural Mountains, and lately in South America. It is
rarely found in masses weighing more than from ten to twenty pounds,
and good specimens have a very high value. Its specific weight is 4.
Malachite
takes a fine polish, and its varied shades of green, disposed with a
thousand caprices, or in diverse zones, give it a pleasing effect.
Beads and pendants of it are occasionally seen in jewelry, but its
chief use in art is for ornaments of larger dimensions, such as boxes,
paper-weights, statuettes, &c.
At St. Petersburg an exceptionally large slab of malachite 34 inches by 18 broad and 2 thick, is valued at $5294.
Under
the First Empire an apartment in the Grand Trianon was furnished with
beautiful objects all made of malachite, and presented to Napoleon I.
by Alexander of Russia.
Attempts
have been made to engrave malachite, but owing to its soft texture and
multiplicity of zones destroying artistic effect, without successful
results.
