Chrysocolla
A soft, glassy blue-green copper silicate, often hardened by quartz.
- Family
- Chrysocolla
- Formula
- (Cu,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O
- Mohs
- 2.5 to 3.5
- System
- Amorphous
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Science
Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper silicate with no fixed structure, forming crusts and fillings where copper ores weather. It is too soft for jewellery on its own; when silica impregnates it the result, gem silica, is a translucent turquoise-blue chalcedony that is hard, rare and expensive.
- Mineral
- Chrysocolla
- Formula
- (Cu,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O
- Crystal system
- Amorphous
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5 to 3.5
- Specific gravity
- 2.00 to 2.40
- Refractive index
- 1.460 to 1.570
- Lustre
- Vitreous to earthy
- Colours
- Blue-green, Cyan, Green
Composition
(Cu,Al)₂H₂Si₂O₅(OH)₄·nH₂O. Made of Copper, Aluminium, Silicon, Oxygen, Hydrogen.
Origin
- Peru
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Chile
- United StatesArizona
- Mexico
Filled dots are primary sources
Rarity
Common in copper districts. Gem silica, chrysocolla in chalcedony hard enough to cut, is uncommon and valued.
- 1 Abundant
- 2 Common
- 3 Uncommon
- 4 Rare
- 5 Exceptional
Hardness
Chrysocolla sits at 2.5 to 3.5 on the Mohs scale. A steel knife will scratch it; it suits pendants and display more than rings.
Energy
Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.
Chakras
- Throat
- Heart
Element
- Water
Zodiac
- Gemini
- Virgo
- Taurus
Planets
- Venus
- Mercury
Properties
- Communication
- Calm
- Feminine power
- Teaching
Lore
Theophrastus named it around 315 BCE from chrysos and kolla, gold and glue, because goldsmiths used a green copper mineral as solder flux. Eilat stone, a mix with malachite and turquoise, is Israel's national stone, said to come from Solomon's mines.
Its modern reputation is as a stone of gentle speech and of women's wisdom.
- Gem silicaChrysocolla-coloured chalcedony, Mohs 7, from Arizona and Peru.
- CareSoft and porous; keep away from water and chemicals.