Malachite Lore:

When stone age hunter/gatherers tried lining their fire pits with some pretty green stone that had been exposed by flooding, they accidentally invented the science of smelting metal from ore. Copper was almost certainly the first metal they discovered and used, because it’s so easy to extract from malachite — all you need is fire. You can well imagine that when people saw the reddish metal coming out of green stones, they felt it was magic!

Besides its use as copper ore, people have long used malachite as an “evil eye” talisman. The stone’s natural curved lines and circles form natural patterns that look like eyes — eyes to “send back” bad intentions, envy, or other dangerous feelings, as well as simple bad luck. Babies and others wore these amulets in ancient Egypt and Greece, medieval Europe, and many other places. Powdered malachite is also one of the oldest pigments, providing an intense green color for paint and makeup. It’s possible that, as eyeshadow, malachite powder averted the evil eye as a magical cosmetic.

Malachite Safety and Care:

Since malachite contains copper, it’s best to be careful about toxicity. It’s also a fairly soft stone. Tumbled pieces should be safe to handle, but avoid getting them wet. It’s a good idea to wash your hands after handling rough malachite, because coppery dust can come off in your hands.