Despite being one of the first indicators of a copper deposit, malachite (especially in usable quantities) is still a rare mineral. This makes genuine malachite quite expensive and provides a huge incentive to make imitations.

Malachite is actually one of the most imitated minerals in the world.

Fake malachite comes in 2 types: synthetic and reconstituted.

Synthetic malachite can be made from glass, polymer clay, or even plastic. Sometimes it can be labelled ‘manmade’, ‘imitation’ or ‘faux’. However not all sellers know the difference or are reputable. It’s up to you to know the difference in order to make an informed purchase.

Synthetic malachite is actually easy to differentiate from genuine malachite if you answer the following questions:

1. How much does it cost? Being rare, authentic malachite is usually expensive. Synthetic malachite can be quite cheap.

2. What color is it? Genuine malachite comes in a staggering array of greens; each layer has its own shade. You may also see some turquoise (chrysocolla) or deep blue (azurite) layers in a natural piece, but there should never be true black. Synthetic malachite can come in several colours, including a beautiful rainbow palette.

3. What kind of pattern does it have? - Authentic malachite has soft, delicate layers is an assortment of waves, rings and stripes. Synthetic malachite tends to have harsh contrast between the layers and often only contains a few different colours and/or shades.

4. Is it a real rock? - Genuine malachite is cold to the touch, heavy and feels dense. Synthetic malachite is warm to the touch and so light it will float on water.

Reconstituted malachite can be more difficult to identify, as it actually contains some real malachite. When genuine malachite is cut, there will be some offcuts or waste material. This leftover malachite can be ground and mixed with dyes and resin to form reconstituted malachite. Chunks of genuine malachite can be found in a reconstituted piece making it look even more realistic. The presence of resin makes the reconstituted malachite lighter than the genuine mineral. Although the colours look more natural, the patterns just won’t look right.

Now that you can tell the difference between genuine malachite and synthetic or reconstituted malachite, which do you prefer?