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Azurite

Deep blue copper carbonate that turns green with age.

Family
Azurite
Formula
Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂
Mohs
3.5 to 4
System
Monoclinic

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Science

Azurite is malachite's less stable sibling, with slightly less water; exposed to air it converts to malachite over centuries, which is why blue skies in old paintings have turned green. It forms deep blue prismatic crystals and nodules in the oxidised zone of copper deposits.

Mineral
Azurite
Formula
Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂
Crystal system
Monoclinic
Mohs hardness
3.5 to 4
Specific gravity
3.77
Refractive index
1.730 to 1.838
Lustre
Vitreous
Colours
Deep blue, Azure

Composition

Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂. Made of Copper, Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen.

in formula

Origin

  • Namibia
    Tsumeb
  • United States
    Bisbee, Arizona
  • Morocco
  • France
    Chessy-les-Mines
  • Mexico
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo

Filled dots are primary sources

Rarity

Uncommon
3 of 5

Massive azurite is available; sharp, lustrous crystals from Tsumeb and Bisbee are collector pieces.

  1. 1 Abundant
  2. 2 Common
  3. 3 Uncommon
  4. 4 Rare
  5. 5 Exceptional

Hardness

Azurite sits at 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale. A steel knife will scratch it; it suits pendants and display more than rings.

Fingernail
Copper coin
Knife, glass
Steel file
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Energy

Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.

Chakras

  • Third Eye

Element

  • Air

Zodiac

  • Sagittarius

Planets

  • Jupiter
  • Uranus

Properties

  • Insight
  • Intuition
  • Study
  • Psychic clarity

Lore

It was the main blue pigment of European painting from the Middle Ages until Prussian blue, cheaper than lapis and used for skies and cloth. Egyptians and Chinese used it too.

Modern practice calls it the stone of heaven and of the third eye, following the colour.

  • Alteration
    Slowly becomes malachite; 'azurmalachite' shows both.
  • Chessylite
    Old name from the French mines at Chessy.