Chrysocolla with Tenorite Pendant Necklace in Sterling Silver

There is something almost otherworldly happening inside this stone. Intense blue-green chrysocolla spreads across a black tenorite matrix in intricate mineral patterns, breaking apart and gathering again into shapes that look strangely like islands, forests or an aerial view of some place that doesn’t exist. The closer you get, the more there is to see.

Chrysocolla and tenorite are both copper minerals, and when they occur together the contrast can be incredible. Chrysocolla brings those saturated turquoise and blue-green colors, while tenorite is a copper oxide that can appear deep brown to nearly black. Here the two are tangled together so completely that the stone becomes its own miniature landscape. This isn't the smooth, evenly colored chrysocolla you see everywhere. It's the wild geology that makes this one interesting.

I wanted the silver to have that same slightly untamed quality, so clusters of silver droplets gather around the edges while the darkened, textured frame gives all that electric color something rougher to sit against. Even the back is worth turning over. The patterned silver makes the pendant feel like a complete object rather than something that only matters from the front. It has a bit of an artifact quality to it, strange and beautiful and just outside of any particular time.

Chrysocolla has a long association with communication, wisdom and personal power, while tenorite is sometimes connected with transformation and releasing what has run its course. Together they have an interesting push and pull: finding your voice, trusting what you know, and being willing to leave something behind when it's time to move forward. A little bit of magic for a stone that already looks like it came from somewhere unusual.

✧ Stone: Natural chrysocolla with tenorite
✧ Pendant Size: Approximately 2 inches long × 1 inch wide
✧ Metal: Sterling silver
✧ Chain: Sterling silver diamond-link chain
✧ Length: Choose your length; includes a 2-inch extension chain for additional adjustability
✧ Closure: Sterling silver lobster claw clasp

One-of-a-kind and made with care in my studio.