Green stones: list, shades, symbolism, treatments and care

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Aventurine, malachite, jade, peridot, emerald, chrysoprase, moldavite... Green stones, their shades, hardness, symbolism, treatments and the precautions to take.

Key points

Shades	Apple green, grass green, olive green, blue-green, dark green
Best-known stones	Aventurine, malachite, jade, peridot, emerald
Hardest	Emerald (7.5 to 8), green tourmaline (7 to 7.5)
Softest	Fuchsite (2.5 to 3), malachite (3.5 to 4), serpentine
Precautions	Malachite and dioptase: copper, avoid the dust
Symbolism	Nature, growth, hope; paradise in Islam

Green, the most varied colour in minerals

Green is one of the most widespread colours in the mineral world, because several elements can produce it: chromium (green aventurine, emerald, fuchsite), copper (malachite, dioptase), iron (peridot, epidote, jade), nickel (chrysoprase). As a result, green stones belong to very different families: solid quartz, silicates, carbonates, natural glass. Their hardness ranges from 2.5 to 8, and their precautions differ. Stones of a neighbouring shade are found under blue stones.

The main green stones

Stone	Shade	Hardness	Good to know
Green aventurine	soft green, glittery	6.5 to 7	quartz with green mica (fuchsite)
Malachite	bright to dark green, banded	3.5 to 4	copper carbonate; sensitive to acids
Jade	light to dark green, also white or lavender	6 to 7	nephrite or jadeite; often treated
Peridot	olive to yellowish green	6.5 to 7	gem olivine; scratches easily
Emerald	intense green	7.5 to 8	beryl; almost always oiled
Chrysoprase	apple green, translucent	6.5 to 7	chalcedony coloured by nickel
Prehnite	pale green to yellowish	6 to 6.5	calcium aluminium silicate
Epidote	dark green to olive	6 to 7	calcium, aluminium and iron silicate
Fuchsite	silvery green, glittery	2.5 to 3	chromium mica; flaky and soft
Amazonite	blue-green with white veins	6 to 6.5	feldspar; colour fades in light
Green tourmaline	deep green	7 to 7.5	elbaite (verdelite)
Moldavite	bottle green, ridged	5.5 to 6.5	natural impact glass; many imitations
Serpentine	light to dark green, marbled	2.5 to 5.5	some fibrous varieties are asbestos
Dioptase	vivid emerald green	5	copper silicate; handle with care

A few details

Green aventurine is a quartz speckled with green mica (fuchsite). Malachite is a copper carbonate with concentric bands, soft and sensitive to acids. Jade covers two distinct species, nephrite and jadeite. Peridot is the gem variety of olivine, which is also found in some meteorites. Emerald is a green beryl coloured by chromium (and a little vanadium); its inclusions are common and often filled with oil. Chrysoprase is an apple-green chalcedony, coloured by nickel. Moldavite is a natural glass (a tektite) formed by a meteorite impact. Serpentine is a group of minerals, one fibrous variety of which is asbestos. Dioptase is a copper silicate, very beautiful but to be handled with care.

What green suggests, across cultures

In the West, green is the colour of vegetation, growth and hope; it is also the colour of luck, and at the same time, in the Middle Ages, the colour of joy as well as of the devil, fairies and poison. In Islam, it is linked to paradise, described as full of greenery, and to the Quranic figure Al-Khidr, “the Green One”. In Ireland, it is a national colour. In modern crystal healing, green stones have been associated with the heart chakra, nature and growth: this is a recent convention. See the heart chakra.

Treatments, glass and imitations

Emerald: almost always impregnated with oil or resin to hide its fissures. Ultrasound and steam can dissolve this treatment (see cleaning a stone jewel).
Jade: three situations: natural jade, treated jade (bleached, then impregnated with polymer, known as type B) and dyed jade. Many stones sold as “jade” are in fact serpentine, dyed quartz, aventurine or glass.
Moldavite: imitations in green glass are very widespread; real moldavite shows elongated bubbles and a ridged surface.
Prasiolite: usually heat-treated amethyst.
Dyed quartz and agates in vivid green.

See real or fake stone to go further.

Precautions and care

Malachite and dioptase contain copper: avoid the dust, your mouth, drinking water and acids (see precautions). Serpentine can be fibrous: do not saw or sand it. Hard greens (peridot, epidote, aventurine, jade, tourmaline) are rinsed in lukewarm water; emerald, fuchsite, malachite and moldavite need gentle wiping. Details are in the purification table. Green pairs well with pink (pink stones), white or gold.

Frequently asked questions

Is jade always green?

No. It also occurs in white, lavender, yellow and black. Green is the best-known colour, but a large share of the green “jades” sold are other stones that have been dyed, or glass.

Is malachite dangerous?

Not through simple contact with a polished piece, but its dust and ingestion should be avoided, as it is a copper mineral. Never put it in drinking water, and never sand it.

Is emerald treated?

Almost always: its fissures are filled with oil or resin. This treatment is accepted if it is disclosed, but it does not withstand ultrasound or solvents.

How can moldavite be told apart from green glass?

Moldavite shows elongated bubbles and a ridged surface, but only an expert can be certain. Pieces that are very smooth, flawless and inexpensive are suspicious.

Is green linked to a chakra?

In modern tradition, it is associated with the heart chakra. This is a recent convention, not an established fact.