The museum Collection opens a new chapter of its "Muneral of the month" series. The highlight of this month is chrysocolla – an astonishing copper silicate with natural palette that evokes a snapshot of Earth from space. Shades of azure, deep turquoise, and vibrant young green are exquisitely interwoven within its texture.

The name of the gemstone dates back to antiquity, deriving from the Greek words for "gold glue" (chrysos – gold, kolla – glue). As early as the 4^th century BC, the ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus noted that craftsmen used the powdered stone as a flux for soldering gold jewelry.

Chrysocolla forms in the oxidation zones of copper deposits, often found alongside malachite, azurite, and turquoise. Due to their striking visual resemblance, it was mistaken for turquoise for centuries, even though chrysocolla is a far more fragile and soft mineral. For lapidaries and jewellers, working with it demands the utmost precision and delicacy.

Fascinating facts and legends

The "Stone of reconciliation" in ancient Egypt: the Egyptians revered chrysocolla as a symbol of wisdom, believing it helped negotiate compromises. According to the legend Queen Cleopatra always wore chrysocolla jewelry during complicates diplomatic meetings.

The famous "Eilat stone": the rarest variety of this mineral is its natural intergrowth with malachite and turquoise. This unique blue-green gemstone was mined in the ancient copper mines of the Timna Valley in the southern Sinai Peninsula, historically and poetically referred to as "King Solomon's Mines."

Colors of the Renaissance: During the Renaissance, painters ground chrysocolla into a fine powder to create a vibrant, lasting blue-green pigment for painting canvases and cathedral frescoes.

You can admire the elegant artistry and master craftsmanship applied to this mineral in the "Lapidary works of art and ivories” section of the museum exposition.

Featured museum exhibits:

Sculptural composition "Kingfisher with fish." Idar-Oberstein, Germany. 1980–1990
Sculptural composition "Parrots." Peter Müller. Brazil, 20th century.
Sculptural composition "Tropical Fish." Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio. South America, 1960
Sculptural composition "Hummingbird on a Flower." The 20th century.