Chrysocolla Beads

These China Chrysocolla gemstone beads possess a wonderful combination of intense royal blues and kelly greens, with a just hint of brown. The name “Chrysocolla” is derived from the Greek chrysos, meaning “gold, and kolla, meaning “glue”, because the ancient Greeks used this semiprecious stone when soldering gold.

China chrysocolla is a secondary copper mineral and is thus often found in close proximity to other cuprous (containing copper) minerals, such as azurite and malachite.

Pure chrysocolla is very soft and fragile and thus inappropriate for use in jewelry. However, pure chrysocolla is often intergrown with chalcedony, which provides the stone with the durability necessary for use as gemstone beads.