Malachite

Malachite is used in both jewellery and as a decorative material. The mineral is one of the most popular due to its bright colouring and attractive pattern, and also because it is easy to work and takes an excellent polish. Its colour, from bluish-green and turquoise to dark green with silky tints, comes from the presence of copper. Malachite usually occurs in the form of hollow nodules which prevents whole items being made from it. The craftsmen of the Peterhof and Yekaterinburg works used the Russian mosaic technique to cover large surfaces. Pieces of malachite were cut into slices 2-3 millimetres thick and attached using special mastic onto a base in such a way as to produce an attractive overall pattern. Then the item was ground and polished. Many malachite pieces from the Peterhof and Yekaterinburg works were presented as gifts to European monarchs by the Russian tsars.