Azurite Stone Beads
The
beads made out of Azurite stones are very attractive and artistic
looking beads. In the ancient period, these beads were used by the
artists to decorate their handcrafts. The Azurite beads are found in
different shapes. The Azurite beads were found in sharp, short and
prismatic crystalline forms. The azurite beads are transparent and
have a unique glossy luster, but to avail this unique appearance,
these beads have to be given proper shapes. When azurite's dazzling
blue go down with malachite's vivid green, the beads which are
conceived from this process, gets spell-bounding looks. These beads
are very popular for the bead collectors and for the jewelers. The following features of Azurite make the azurite beads more popular in the jewelry industry and other decoration industry:
- The Azurite stones are comparatively soft, their relative hardness is 3.5.
- If these stones are silicated then these stones are easily usable for the jewelries as beads.
- These stones derive their natural color from the copper and copper compounds, which are intermingled in the stones. This coloring feature enhances the scope of azurite beads.
Azurite Stone
Azurite is an azure blue vitreous mineral of basic copper carbonate used as a copper ore and as a gemstone. Also called chessylite, Azurite is found with malachite in one stone in an appealing blue-green pattern called azure-malachite. It is derived from the Persian word "lazaward" and the Latin word "azura", meaning blue sky. The distinct blue color of this gemstone has made for its usage as a pigment for centuries.
Azurite is occasionally coated with colorless wax, or rarely impregnated with plastic and/or other hardened agents to improve the durability and appearance. It is found in many parts of the world in the upper oxidized portions of copper ore deposits near malachite, the green basic carbonate of copper. The gemstone is commonly found in countries like: Nambia, Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, Australia, China, France, Greece, Sardinia and Ural Mountains of Russia.
Azurite has been used as a dye for paints, fabrics for eons and in making jewelry. Fine crystal clusters, nodular specimens, and interesting and beautiful combinations with malachite are important pieces in anyone's mineral collection. The magnificent color of azurite is considered to be unique in the mineral world.
