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About Malachite
Malachite is used by Native American jewelers and Zuni fetish carvers in a variety of ways.
In Navajo or Zuni jewelry, malachite is usually used as a cabochon stone setting in Sterling Silver, or in channel or mosaic inlay in Sterling Silver. In Zuni fetish carvings, one usually sees malachite as a stand-alone material representing the animal or figure's body, or more infrequently as a part of stone-inlay for ornamentation. Malachite has a Mohs hardness of 3.5 - 4.0. |