Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper silicate mineral. The name comes from the Greek “chrysos” meaning “gold”, and “kolla” meaning “glue”. It is an allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold. It was first used in 315 BC.

It is of a secondary origin. It forms in the oxidation zones of copper ore bodies. Quartz, limonite, azurite, malachite, cuprite and other secondary copper minerals are the other associated minerals. Turquoise and chrysocolla are sometime mistaken for each other due to their very similar colors.

Notable places of occurrences include Arizona, Utah, Idaho, New Mexico and Pennsylvania in the U.S.A, Israel, Democratic republic of Congo, Chile and Cornwall in England. A 2006 study has produced evidence that chrysocolla may be a microscopic mixture of the copper hydroxide mineral spertiniite, amorphous silica and water.

Color is a unique green-blue but can vary widely from richer blue to richer green in the same specimen. It has a dull and waxy luster and may be opaque or translucent. Fractures are conchoidal and the hardness lies between 2 and 4 on Moh’s scale of hardness. Chrysocolla may resemble an opal in appearance.