How can I spot the difference at a glance?
We start with color and pattern. Chrysocolla runs robin's-egg to sky blue-green and often reads waxy to glassy on a strand. Shattuckite tends to deeper, near-royal blue in fibrous patches, sometimes mingled with black or green, which you can confirm in our chrysocolla and shattuckite guide. Turquoise usually shows a more even blue to green with tight web-style matrix or scattered "islands," and stays opaque, as outlined in our turquoise guide.
What do I look for at the drill hole?
Tara here: when we string test strands, the hole tells a lot. Chrysocolla that is locked in quartz can show a slightly translucent rim and a glassier, smooth wall. Shattuckite often shows fine, fibrous blue streaks right at the hole. Turquoise usually looks fully opaque and a bit more granular at the hole, and its matrix lines read as tight webs rather than fibrous fills.
Which should I choose for my design?
For silhouette, heishi makes tight color columns for stacks, nuggets bring organic texture, and ovals give a balanced profile. See shape dimensions and drilling on nuggets and ovals. If you want a ready blue accent in a focal form, we also carry a turquoise trilliant you can build around.
Will these stones handle daily wear?
Turquoise sits around Mohs 5 to 6 and is porous, so it handles abrasion better than the copper silicates, especially in bracelets. Chrysocolla alone is softer, though bead-grade strands are often supported by quartz and feel glassier in hand; shattuckite is about 3.5. For necklaces and earrings, both families work well. Clean with a damp cloth only and skip ultrasonic, oils, acids and perfume on all three.
We limit these to necklaces and earrings when clients are hard on their hands. For bracelets, pick turquoise first. If you must use chrysocolla or shattuckite on the wrist, buffer with metal spacers and plan for gentle wear.
How many 6 mm beads do you need?
Use these counts to plan stringing. A 7.5 inch bracelet with a clasp uses about 25 beads of 6 mm. An 18 inch necklace takes about 70 beads of 6 mm, and a 16 inch choker takes about 61. A 15 to 16 inch strand of 6 mm rondelles has about 65 to 70 beads, so one strand covers most chokers or a bracelet and earrings.
- Stretch bracelets: 7 inches of 6 mm is about 29 beads.
- Bracelet with clasp: 7 inches uses about 23 beads of 6 mm for a slimmer fit.
- Knotting adds about 1 mm per knot to finished length.
- Two 13 inch strands can make a long necklace.
How do I rule out azurite-malachite by mistake?
The common mix-up is azurite-malachite, which shows deep navy azurite with concentric green malachite bands. Chrysocolla and shattuckite are silicates, so they read fibrous or glassy, not banded, and they do not react to a mild acid test the way azurite-malachite can. Our chrysocolla and shattuckite notes outline the look side by side.
If you still are unsure, test a crumb or hidden chip only, never a show face. A drop of household vinegar can fizz on azurite-malachite, and will not on these silicates.