Vintage Malachite Gourd Shape Snuff Bottle

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Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral that forms in the upper layers of oxidized ore bodies. Until the discoveries in … Read more Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral that forms in the upper layers of oxidized ore bodies. Until the discoveries in Africa, malachite found in the Ural Mountains supplied European royalties with rich green stone made into jewelry and other accessories. The Malachite Room of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg boasts of columns and fireplaces made of malachite. Such was the high value of malachite until traders found mines in the areas that are now the Democratic Republic of Congo all the way to Zambia, and other places in South Africa. Chinese traders brought the beautiful green stones back beginning in the 1950's when the newly established Communist government supported the countries of Africa fighting for independence from Colonialism.

This is a vintage malachite bottle made in the mid 1950's to 1980's. At that time, snuff bottle makers took time to be creative in their craft, making individual designs according to the shape of the stone. This is a far cry from the modern snuff bottle of today. The bottle is shaped like a gourd, with a smaller gourd growing next to it along with two leaves and a delicate tendril. The rich emerald colors are striated into lines of deep green to pale green infused with tiny lines of black. The base is carved like the blossom end of a gourd. The stopper is shaped like the stem, as if the bottle was plucked from the vines. See less