Chrysocolla Crystal Guide: meaning, origin & properties
Learn what Chrysocolla is, where ours comes from, traditional associations across cultures, and how to identify a real specimen, in our complete Chrysocolla Crystal Guide.
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gorgeous as always! and no peace like knowing you got all of your beautiful pieces from a place that is ethical and authentic.
Amy K · Verified buyer · May 2023
These are AA-grade Chrysocolla hand polished stones from Arequipa, Peru, sold by the piece or by the pound. Peruvian chrysocolla often blends with quartz or malachite, deepening its copper-driven blue-green color. Each piece runs 1-1.50 inches, Mohs 2-4 rising where silicified, bought directly at the source. A favorite confidence stone for pockets.
Chrysocolla is a vivid turquoise-to-teal green-blue, often found with malachite or quartz. It's soft on its own, so much of the material on the market is stabilized in a quartz matrix that makes it durable enough to wear. The name comes from Greek 'chrysos' and 'kolla' because it was historically used as a soldering flux for gold.
Sourced directly from Arequipa, Peru. At 2-4 (pure); 5-7 (silicified) on the Mohs scale, it's on the softer end. Keep it away from water and store it separately from harder pieces. Worth knowing: a lot of the chrysocolla on the market is stabilized. What we carry is natural and untreated.
Chrysocolla has long been used in practices around working through difficult feelings at your own pace, quiet, steady calm, and opening to connection, with yourself and others. It's traditionally linked to the throat and heart chakras. If that resonates, hold it for a few breaths before a conversation that matters. There's no single right way to carry it.
These are traditional associations drawn from historical practice. This stone is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.
Offered as a starting point for your own practice.
Chrysocolla sits at 2-4 (pure); 5-7 (silicified) on the Mohs scale, among the softest stones we carry, so handle it gently and keep it dry. Long soaks dull the surface, so keep any water contact brief and dry it fully.
Natural chrysocolla from Arequipa, Peru. Most polished chrysocolla on the market is stabilized with resin because the natural mineral is soft and porous. Industry practice for tumbled and polished material commonly includes stabilization; we confirm treatment when known.
You'll receive pieces from the same batch photographed, weighed to the amount you choose. Every piece passes our quality control and meets or exceeds what you see in the photos. Single specimens are listed separately and say so.
Each piece measures 1 to 1.5 inches on its longest side and weighs 10 to 50 grams. About 16 to 24 pieces per pound at this size, and each option shows its piece count.
Grade AA. Strong blue-green color, hand polished smooth, often with natural matrix bands of malachite or host quartz. Grades reflect visual quality within a batch. A is standard, with typical inclusions. AA shows stronger color, cleaner surfaces and tighter sizing. AAA is the top 10 to 15 percent of a batch. Every lot is inspected and graded by our team in Rockville, Maryland, not taken on the supplier’s word.
Peru. Other notable sources include the United States, Israel, and Democratic Republic of the Congo. It came to us through a direct source, one of the sourcing models we publish and stand behind.
Every lot is inspected and graded by our expert team before it is listed, not taken on the supplier's word. AA on this listing means stronger color, cleaner surfaces and tighter sizing than the batch average. Pieces that miss the mark never reach the shop.
How We GradeWe work directly with the mine or workshop, with no intermediaries in between. The relationship is personal, pricing is transparent, and we can speak to each batch. We say what we know and where our tracing stops.
Our Sourcing StandardsEverything we sell is natural in origin: never synthetic, never dyed, never coated. Where a stone has been heated, irradiated or stabilized, which is common in the trade for some species, we say so on the listing. If a piece is not as described, return it within 90 days of delivery.
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