Source: artstheanswer.blogspot.com
They say your favorite color says a lot about you: your preferred moods, general equilibrium, state of mind, etc. Well, I know next to nothing about that, but I do know that my favorite color has always been green (hence it shows up in the blog title :). I love that pale spring green when the trees start budding this time of year, as I adore the glow of jade beads and a rich jolt of kelly green.
Sources: Poshmark, Mountain Shadow Beads
One of the most dazzling green materials out there is malachite, an opaque, hard mineral that is typically found in masses deep underground. The name traces back to its Greek precedent malakhe, in reference to the color of the mallow plant.
Even as a child I was fascinated by malachite, with its rippling green-black veins and exotic, sensuous patterns. I find it incredibly alluring but also intimidating because of how otherworldly it looks. It reminds me of how much life and mass there is deep inside the Earth, and how much of that goes unseen and unknown by all of us...
Sources: Pinterest, Saks Fifth Avenue
Maybe it's the fact that I've mostly encountered malachite in decor or jewelry, but it's always struck me as having a particularly regal quality. Clearly I'm not the only one who feels this way, as artists and designers were for centuries using it in palace interiors. Take the malachite rooms at El Castillo de Chapultepec in Mexico City. At one point this site was the residence of Emperor Maximilian I and Empress Carlota, and it possesses a truly monumental doorway made of Russian malachite and gold--a good fit for royalty!
Sources (LTR): a-l-ancien-regime.tumblr.com, Twicsy.com, Pinterest
Not to be outdone, the Russians themselves have an even more opulent "Malachite Room" at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, for which they used over 2 tonnes of malachite. Although I sometimes find the combination of malachite and gold too rich, it infuses drama into the rooms, especially through those massive, glowing columns. Russian royalty certainly had a knack for using malachite's rich hues to arrest the eye.
Source: Flickr
Sadly, most of live in a world far removed from that splendor. Today, you'll mostly find malachite as an accent piece that elevates everyday objects such as tableware, office accessories, and jewelry to a state of accessible luxury.
Although the pieces themselves are pretty distinctive, one consistent theme is the artist's effort to capture malachite's mutating, sometimes flame-like patterns. The color palette is enthralling: from near translucence to almost black, stimulating our eyes constantly and pulling us further into the object.
But it's the irregular, organic shapes that really capture our attention. If there's one thing malachite isn't, it's demure. To me, this is an inherently dramatic stone, and the best artists are those who can capture its drama and freeze it into stillness. In that way there's a paradox to everything made of malachite: the object itself doesn't move, but you can't help but feel that the stone is still alive.
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