Azurite is a carbonate mineral with chemical composition Cu₃(CO₃)₂(OH)₂, (copper carbonate hydroxide). Azurite is often found in association with the green mineral malachite as a result of the weathering and oxidation of copper sulfide minerals.

Azurite owes its name, to its azure-blue color and from the Persian word "lazhward", meaning "blue". Azurite is used in jewellery and also collected as a beautiful mineral specimen.

Azurite has been used as a blue mineral pigment for centuries, it was formerly known as Azurro Della Magna. The process began in Fourth Dynasty Egypt (2575-2467 B.C.), but didn't become common until the Middle Ages and Renaissance, when azurite was the most important pigment in European painting. It eventually was abandoned, as people realized that certain environments turned the azurite into malachite.  When mixed with oil it turns slightly green - you may have noticed some old paintings with a greenish sky, yup azurite was used as the pigment. When mixed with egg yolk it turns green-grey. It is also known by the names "Blue Bice" and "Blue Verditer".

Azurite commonly forms pseudomorphs over other minerals, retaining the original crystal shape of that mineral. Pseudomorph - One mineral chemically replaces another mineral without changing the external form of the original mineral. Pseudomorphs of Malachite after azurite are also common.

Sometimes Azurite undergoes a chemical change and loses some hydroxyl, altering the Azurite to Malachite, retaining the crystal shape of the original Azurite. Other times, only part of the Azurite is altered to Malachite, while the other part remains as Azurite. Such specimens are green on one end and blue on the other.

In its solid form, azurite has long been known as a "stone of heaven" and was used in many ancient cultures to help contact divine consciousness. Native Americans considered it a sacred aid to journeys with their spirit guides. Today, azurite is reputed to heighten one's insight and wisdom; enhance prophesy and divination; improve and control energy flow; fortify the memory and enhance intellectual receptivity; and help evaluate a person's past beliefs and dissolve the unwanted beliefs. It is also thought to aid the power of healing, specifically for the liver, arthritis, joints, sinuses, skin, throat, spleen and spine.