This makes it dangerous to mine, cut, or hand-polish malachite without proper protective equipment. Luckily, it's completely safe to handle rough and polished specimens. Malachite is a secondary mineral of copper, which means it's formed when copper minerals are altered by other minerals. read more
Malachite dust can be toxic if breathed in. But you would only get dust if you were grinding the stone. Handling malachite beads is completely safe. read more
If you cut malachite, breathe dust from it or otherwise ingest it, yes, it can be toxic. But for casual wear in jewelry I think there''s little danger. Millions of people wear the stuff and I''ve never heard of a single health problem. Malachite is a copper ore as well as a beautiful gem and decorative stone. read more