Vintage Malachite and Silver Necklace and Earrings Set
We offer here a vintage set of an elegant malachite pendant in a silver setting, with silver and malachite earrings. The necklace is 20" long including the 1.5" pendant, with silver and malachite earrings. The length of the entire earring is 2", the actual elongated oval setting is 1.25"; the maximum width of the earring is 0.5". The silver is not hallmarked, but tests for 500-karat silver.
About Malachite: The name Malachite is believed to come from the Greek word “molochitus”, referring to the mallow leaf which is similar in color. Malachite has been used in jewelry and art since antiquity, and like many other stones was believed to protect one from evil. In Ancient Egypt, the color green was highly symbolic, representing new life and fertility. Ancient Egyptians referred to the eternal paradise they believed awaited them in the afterlife as the “Field of Malachite”. Notably, the ancient Egyptians did not often use malachite in jewelry but instead used malachite powder in cosmetics and pigments.
Ancient Greeks and Romans carved malachite into amulets and widely used it in jewelry. Ancient Romans referred to malachite as the "peacock stone", associated with the queen of the gods, Juno. Across the oceans and centuries, malachite was prominent in Mayan jewelry and art as well.
