The name of the semi-precious stone malachite is derived from the Greek word "malakos" which means soft. Based on other account, the term malachite has also originated from the Greek word "malhe", which means grass.

Malachite is a semi-precious stone which is opaque and banded. The colors of the bands on it range from light green to deep green. It has a hardness of 4 on the Moh's scale. Aside from being a semi-precious stone, it is a valuable copper ore as well. It is the one responsible for the green of tarnished bronze and copper. Due to the distinctive bright green color it possesses as well as its presence and existence in the weathered zones of almost all copper deposits, malachite is considered as its prospecting guide. Malachite has also been used for ornamental purposes aside from being a gemstone.

It is mainly mined in Zaire; however, there have also been some found in Ural, Siberia, South Australia, France, Namibia and the USA, particularly in Arizona.

Malachite was started to be mined by the ancient Egyptians in 4000 BC. During the Middle ages, malachite had been worn by people to have some form of protection against sorcery and black magic. Also, in ancient Greece, there were also amulets made for children that were made with malachite.

Malachite has also been believed to promote harmony as well as improve the overall functioning of your body systems. As the energy given off by Malachite flows through the body, it could erode the discordant energies, alerting your body about its own disharmonies to fix.