Eilat stone

Jewelry Discussion
1

HVickie…Eilat stone is a beauty It is acombination of
malachite and azurite and is beautiful mix of blues and greens.
I Iused todo alot of workwith eilat stone cabs. Don’t know why I
stopped. they are gorgeous SolK

2 
Does anyone have informatin on Eilat stone from the Red Sea?  If
so, history and any you have would be helpful. Thank
you in advance, I appreciate any available. Vickie

Hi Vickie,

‘Eilat Stone’ or ‘Elath Stone’ is found north of Eilat, the
southernmost city of Israel. Eilat is located on the northern
part of the Red Sea. The stone is said to come from the copper
mines of King Salomon.

‘Eilat Stone’ is a mixture of chrysocolla intergrown with
turquoise and pseudomalachite, a copper phosphate mineral. The
colour is blue to green with a specific gravity from 2.8 to 3.2.

The stones are often cut in cabochons or tumbled.

Because it’s a copper mineral ‘Eilat Stone’ will turn yellow if
you apply a drop of hydrochloric acid.

‘Elat Stone’ can be used as a substitute for Turquoise.

Best regards,

Francoise.

3

Dear Vickie,

Eilat stone or ‘Elath stone’ was named after its source, an area
NEAR Eilat in the middle of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. It is a
rock, composed of a mixture of copper minerals. The constituents
vary greatly, but include chrysocolla (it is often called by
this name), turquoise and pseudomalachite (a mineral resembling
malachite in colour). The stone sometimes used in jewellery that
can look similar and that is composed of Azurite and Malachite,
is not Eilat stone, but Azurite/Malachite. Other copper minerals
MAY be included. The colour is usually variegated and commonly
of a predominant blue and green. The density varies from
approximately 2.8 - 3.2.

I hope this helps. More details can be found in a number of
gemmological books, such as the ‘gemmologists bible’ (Gems by R.
Webster) I once mentioned on this forum previously.

best wishes - Nick