Azurite Properties, Facts and Photos

What is Azurite?

Azurite is a rich blue mineral found in copper ore deposits. It often occurs close to malachite.

Malachite and azurite are both forms of oxidised copper. Wherever one occurs, the other is rarely far away. They can also occur together as one combined mineral, known as azurite malachite.

Prized for its impressive blue colour, azurite is known to have been mined in ancient Egypt. It was mostly ground down to be used as a pigment.

Azurite was the most important blue pigment during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Over time and under the right conditions, it slowly turns into malachite in a process known as pseudomorphism. For this reason, the blue colour in some paintings from these periods is now a shade of green.

Azurite is sought after by mineral collectors and widely used as a gemstone. It's also known as chessylite after the region in France where it was first identified. However, the name is rarely used. 

In ancient Egypt and on the mythical island of Atlantis, azurite was believed to have psychic abilities. For this reason, it has a long history of being used to strengthen psychic powers.

Although popular as a gemstone, azurite is very soft. On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, which measures the scratch resistance of one stone against another, it grades 3.5 to 4.

Most of the world's supply of azurite comes from France, Australia, Russia, Chile, and the USA.

Azurite Healing Properties

When used for its metaphysical healing properties, azurite benefits the mind and mental processes. It can relieve stress, fears, and phobias and enhance memory function.

Azurite is believed to stimulate the body's natural self-healing mechanisms and can also be used for detoxification. Due to its high copper content, it should not be used as an elixir.

It can be used to enhance intuition and psychic ability. It opens the third eye chakra to promote spiritual awareness and insight.

When used during meditation, azurite creates a deeper connection to the inner self and encourages a higher level of consciousness.

Azurite is associated with enhancing one's ability to express oneself creatively. It's said to stimulate artistic inspiration and encourage the exploration of one's unique talents and abilities.

Article Pictures

The azurite mineral in our photo at the top of the page is from Gila County, Arizona. The second piece is from central Australia. Photos courtesy of Stan Celesian.

Both images are clickable and redirect to the original photo.

Pop-up photos: Copper - Courtesy of Stan Celestian.