Malachite

One thing for certain can be said for this bold, bright green mineral: It’s no shrinking violet. In large deposits, it can be made up of such vibrant concentric patterns and pops of green that it seems like it was made to be seen and admired. Usually found alongside its quieter, shyer sibling, azurite, malachite is the hardier and more stable of the two. And, unlike azurite and some other colorful minerals, malachite never fades in the sun. No wonder humans have been putting this eye-catcher on display for millennia as sculpture and grinding it into pigment for many of our most famous paintings. It even forms the walls and pillars of certain spectacular palaces. And, as if that weren’t impressive enough, malachite is speculated to have been the very first rock used as an ore for extracting copper, which is a metal that is itself known for being eye-catching, bold, and (when exposed to air for a while), green. No matter how you look at it, malachite was made for the spotlight. And if it’s popping up for you now, it’s very likely telling you that you were too.