Nuummite Gemstone: Properties, Meanings, Value & More

Nuummite is a dark-colored yet iridescent rock from Greenland used as a gemstone. It’s beloved by crystal healers for its mysterious and mystical properties, while collectors seek out the stone for its stunning iridescence and ancient formation.

Is nuummite rare? Yes, nuummite is a very rare gem. Virtually all nuummite material comes from the original site of its discovery, Greenland. Some say Greenland nuummite is the only “real” nuummite.

Though it was discovered in the last couple of centuries, geologists believe nuummite formed during the Late Archean (Neoarchean) period. That means this ancient stone boasts a lifetime of around 3 billion years!

About Nuummite Stone

Nuummite is a semi-precious gemstone with a dark, mystifying body color overlapped by shimmering iridescent flakes.

What is another name for nuummite? Some alternate spellings include nuummit, nuumite, and nuummit. Another nickname for nuummite is the philosopher’s stone (or sorcerer’s stone), but we’ll discuss that more in the Meanings section.

Though not a traditional birthstone, nuummite is a lucky zodiac stone for the similarly mysterious and intuitive Scorpio.

You may mix up nuummite with arfvedsonite or astrophyllite. All three stones have similar glistening flakes, but nuummite is the only rock among the three.

Nuummite Specifications & Characteristics

Nuummite is a rock, not a mineral. As a refresher, rocks are defined as being composed of more than one mineral. In this case, nuummite is a metamorphic, orthoamphibole rock with the (variable) chemical formula (Mg2)(Mg5)Si8O22(OH)2.

It’s also worth noting that the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) doesn’t officially recognize “nuummite” — this is a marketing name. The stone is often called anthophyllite-gedrite.

This opaque rock is primarily made up of two orthorhombic amphibole (orthoamphibole) minerals: anthophyllite and gedrite.

Anthophyllite is a magnesium-rich amphibole with the IMA formula Mg2Mg5Si8O22(OH)2. Gedrite is a chemically complex aluminous amphibole with the IMA formula Mg2(Mg3Al2)(Si6Al2)O22(OH)2. The square symbol () indicates a framework vacancy, an imperfection where a host atom is missing or displaced from that spot in the crystal lattice.

Other minerals that often show up in nuummite are pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite.

The reason for nuummite’s iridescent flashes is the stone’s internal structure. The main fibrous minerals gedrite and anthophyllite form alternating, thin layers called lamellae. These layers cause light interference, like the rainbows seen on a soap bubble.

Here are the remaining properties of nuummite:

• Mohs hardness: 5.5-6

• Color: Black, gray, brownish-black; Patterned with blue, red, green, violet, or golden-yellow iridescent flecks

• Crystal structure: Orthorhombic

• Luster: Vitreous (glassy) or glossy

• Transparency: Opaque

• Refractive index: 1.63-1.66

• Density: 3.18-3.37 (Greenland material); 2.93-3.03 (African material)

• Cleavage: Perfect on {210} (from both anthophyllite & gedrite)

• Fracture: Conchoidal (anthophyllite), splintery (gedrite)

• Streak: Brown

• Luminescence: Fluorescence sometimes present - Dark violet in SW-UV & LW-UV

• Birefringence: 0.022

• Pleochroism: None

• Optical effects: Iridescence (often labradorescence)

Types of Nuummite

Nuummite only has one (unofficial) variety called jenakite.

Jenakite (AKA Sahara nuummite) was discovered in Mauritania, Northwest Africa, in 2009. This nuummite variety is distinct for containing dense bundles of acicular (needle-like) anthophyllite crystals that are green and blue rather than the primarily golden yellow (occasionally blue) anthophyllite crystals in Greenland nuummite.

Next up, we’ll look at nuummite’s mystical journey over time.

Nuummite History & Meaning

The German mineralogist and polar explorer Karl Ludwig Giesecke technically first discovered “iridescent amphibole” in 1810. Giesecke made the discovery in Greenland’s capital city of Nuuk.

Sometime between 1905 and 1924, the Danish geologist Ove Balthasar Bøggild (or O. B. Bøggild) wrote the first scientific definition of Giesecke’s specimens.

Nuummite’s name wouldn’t come until 1982, when Dutch geologist Peter W. Uitterdijk Appel rediscovered the stone while working the Nuuk area with a team sent by the Geological Survey of Greenland. The team realized the stone had potential on the gem market, too.

Though Appel first considered “nuukite,” he changed it to “nuummite” which the Nuuk town council agreed upon for marketing purposes (to avoid associations with nukes and radioactivity).

The word “nuummite” is Greenlandic — an Inuit dialect — for “derived from Nuuk.” Pretty straightforward, right?

Fun fact: Nuummite is the only gemstone ever found in Nuuk, Greenland. The main supplier of nuummite gemstones is a local company called Nuummite Nuuk A/S, who introduced the stone to the gemstone market in 1983. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) helped the stone’s popularity really start rising when they reported on the finding in spring 1987.

Modern African Nuummite Discovery

As we mentioned earlier, the nuummite variety “jenakite” was discovered in 2009. What we didn’t mention was just how significant this discovery was.

Before 2009, Greenland was the only known nuummite source.

Taisuke Kobayashi, a researcher at the Gemmological Association of All Japan (GAAJ), first reported on the discovery of iridescent nuummite within the Sahara Desert of central Mauritania.

GIA reported on the new nuummite source in Fall 2011. G. Scott Davies of American-Thai Trading — who’d cut over 3,000 carats of the new African nuummite — sent GIA some samples.

The faceted African nuummites sent to GIA varied from around 9 to 16 carats, displaying vibrant iridescence in electric blue, teal, and a mixture of golden yellow and teal.

Now, what is the meaning of nuummite?

Nuummite Meaning

Nuummite’s symbolic meaning ties to empowerment, emotional intuition, and magic. This luminescent crystal is associated with the water element, bringing in energies of untapped potential, meditation, and cleansing.

Are you a Harry Potter fan? If so, you may have wondered: what type of crystal is the philosopher's stone? Nuummite is often considered the real-life equivalent to the philosopher’s (or sorcerer’s) stone.

Outside of fiction, the philosopher’s stone was a legendary substance that represented perfection and enlightenment to Western alchemists. Other purported powers included changing base metals into precious metals along with yielding an “elixir of life” used for living longer (or forever) and rejuvenating the spirit.

Nuummite’s magical properties evoke the dark and mysterious nature of the philosopher’s stone, along with its ancient nature and rarity.

Speaking of, what is the nuummite crystal good for?

Nuummite Healing Properties

As a primarily black gemstone, nuummite as a healing stone is connected to rebirth and venturing into the unknown. Additionally, black gemstones tie to celestial knowledge and grounding. The typical golden-yellow iridescence also imparts good luck.

In terms of how to work with nuummite, crystal healers often recommend meditation to access the stone’s deep grounding effects. Wearing nuummite jewelry or keeping a nuummite tumbled stone with you allows its balancing energies to surround you throughout the day.

Getting more specific, what is nuummite used for in physical, emotional, and chakra healing?

Physical Healing

The purported physical benefits of nuummite include higher energy and lower anxiety. For those feeling fatigued or stressed, nuummite is the perfect companion.

This crystal may also help with blood circulation and tissue regeneration.

Emotional Healing

It’s easy to get stuck in old beliefs, but nuummite is a great tool for opening your mind to new possibilities. By first helping you get out of your comfort zone, nuummite can then enable you to see past limiting beliefs. From there, this crystal is said to help you tap into your true potential.

Chakra Healing

Chakra stones can open blockages in energy centers (chakras) throughout your body, allowing energy to flow harmoniously. Nuummite is a chakra stone for the third eye and crown chakra.

The third eye and crown chakras are the highest, most spiritual energy centers. Using nuummite to unblock these chakras and bring them into balance with each other allows you to access greater intuition, spiritual connection, and divine wisdom.

Nuummite Gemstone Properties

Experts determine nuummite’s value based on the categories of color, cut, clarity/ luster, and carat weight.

Color

Atop nuummite’s gray, brown, or black base, it can have iridescent flecks in colors like golden-yellow, green, blue, red, or violet. Most nuummite displays golden-brown (sometimes with secondary green and blue) iridescence. Red nuummite flecks are rare.

The stone’s flecks can be a few millimeters or centimeters in length. Spacing of 124-133 nm between the alternating anthophyllite and gedrite lamellae results in violet to blue iridescence, while spacing of 180 nm between the lamellae results in yellow iridescence.

Nuummite with pyrite, chalcopyrite, or pyrrhotite mixed in often has glimmering yellow banding once polished.

The most valuable specimens exhibit multiple colors of iridescence.

Cut

Gem cutters have to work with nuummite’s iridescence to orient and cut the stone properly. Usually, the stone is cut as cabochons or tumbled and polished.

More valuable cuts include intricate carvings and faceted shapes. The most common faceted cuts are oval, trillion, and round shapes. Nuummite may also be sold sliced.

Clarity & Luster

Nuummite is opaque, so inclusions don’t affect its transparency or value much. The best material looks glassy or glossy once polished. Sometimes nuummite can have cracks on its surface due to its location, but these stones are lower in value.

Carat Weight

Genuine faceted nuummite and jenakite gemstones can range up to around 20 carats, with higher price-per-carat rates for larger gems.

Nuummite cabochons and carvings (like spheres) can be much larger, often around 20 carats but sometimes over 70 carats.

Generally, larger nuummite stones display better iridescence (though this isn’t always the case).

Up next, how and where does nuummite form?

Image credit: Dimitri BECUE | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

Nuummite Formation & Sources

As we mentioned up top, geologists believe nuummite formed roughly 3 billion years ago.

Nuummite is a metamorphic rock, so it formed when igneous rock underwent a physical and chemical transformation because of heat and pressure. According to a study published in The Journal of Gemmology in 2016, nuummite from Greenland likely started as an igneous rock that formed in the Late Archean era, then went through multiple stages of metamorphism.

In the study, the authors state that the nuummite rocks underwent a polymetamorphic overprint, meaning multiple stages of pressure and heat changes (metamorphism) imposing new characteristics on the rock.

The maximum metamorphic conditions reached were moderate to high pressures and temperatures (500-750°C or 932-1382°F) — AKA amphibolite-facies metamorphism.

Mining Locations

Much of the reason for nuummite’s rarity is its limited sources. So, where is nuummite found? Besides its primary locale of Greenland (which remains the best source for high-quality, sought-after material), nuummite is only found in:

• Converse County, Wyoming, USA

• Kainuu, Finland

• Mauritania, Africa

• Yukon River, Canada

In the USA, some nuummite is also found in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, though not many specimens from these locales are gem-quality.

Part of the difficulty for finding nuummite gemstones comes from the limited time of year miners can get to it in Greenland. The frigid conditions mean miners can only search and dig for the stone during a few months.

When you’re browsing nuummite for sale, what prices should you expect?

Nuummite Price & Value

Despite how difficult it can be to obtain nuummite, the prices for this stone are considerably lower than other rare stones.

Faceted nuummite stones sold at wholesale prices range from $5-$15 per carat, or around $35 to $300 each. Faceted jenakite gems are pricier, around $30 to $370 per carat or $300 to $1,000 each.

Nuummite cabochons range from $1.50-$16 at wholesale, or about $55 to $1,250 each.

Tumbled nuummites range from about $5 to $35. Nuummite carvings (e.g. spheres, pyramids, towers, hearts), range from around $15 to $350.

Lastly, rough nuummite at wholesale prices goes for about $1.50 to $2.50 per carat or $85 to $350 each.

Before we wrap up, let’s talk about how to keep your nuummite stone fresh and shiny.

What are some tips for caring for and preserving the beauty of nuummite gemstones?

Nuummite Care and Maintenance

Before you handle nuummite, it’s important to note that the anthophyllite inside is an asbestos amphibole, so inhaling fibers may be dangerous. This is mainly a concern for gemstone cutters handling rough specimens, so stick to polished specimens to be safe.

In terms of gemstone care, nuummite is relatively simple to take care of. You can clean the stone with a soft toothbrush, warm water, and mild soap. Rinse any soap residue off and dry the stone with a dust-free, microfiber cloth.

Keep nuummite away from prolonged exposure to high heat or sunlight — otherwise, it might fade in color.

Store nuummite separately from other gems to avoid scratches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last, let’s go over some remaining questions you might have:

What is the origin of nuummite and where is it found?

Nuummite originates in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where it was first discovered by German mineralogist Karl Ludwig Giesecke in 1810 (as “iridescent amphibole”) but then rediscovered and marketed as a gemstone in the early 1980s.

Besides Nuuk, the only other known source of gem-quality nuummite is Mauritania, where it’s called “jenakite.” Nuummite material that isn’t gem-quality has also been found in the USA, Canada, and Finland.

What are the distinctive features and characteristics of nuummite?

Besides the properties discussed in the Specifications and Characteristics section earlier like hardness and density, some of the distinctive characteristics of nuummite include:

• Colored, iridescent flakes that are usually straight and long

• Usually internal iridescence (labradorescence) from internal layers causing light interference

• Brown streak (powder produced when scraped on a streak plate)

• Often contains small inclusions

• Only known in gem-quality from Mauritania and Greenland

You might notice that some gems still share some of these characteristics, though.

How does nuummite differ from other similar-looking gemstones?

Despite its largely unique appearance, nuummite often gets mixed up with stones with similar color flashes or shiny scattered inclusions — be it accidental misidentification or intentional mislabeling by shady sellers.

Each one can be distinguished from nuummite based on certain properties:

• Labradorite: Also often labradorescent but is a feldspar mineral (not a rock), is slightly harder at 6-6.5, has a white streak instead of brown, and is denser at 3.18-3.37

• Coppernite: Often labeled as “Indian nuummite” but “coppernite” is actually another marketing term for an amphibole-filled metamorphic rock; Usually has short, metallic, often square flecks or patches instead of longer iridescent flakes like nuummite

• Arfvedsonite: Similar to nuummite in being dark with bright flashes and being discovered in Greenland, but arfvedsonite can be translucent, makes a dark bluish-gray streak, and has iridescent flashes from its pleochroism (not internal structure)

• Larvikite: Similarly a dark rock displaying labradorescence, but larvikite is a feldspar-dominant igneous rock with a slightly higher hardness of 6-7, white streak, and usually silvery iridescence

• Astrophyllite: Can have similar shiny flakes but astrophyllite is a complex mineral (not rock) with a lower hardness of 3, golden streak, and strong pleochroism

It’s good to look out for fake nuummites on the market, as there are many. But also keep in mind that not all nuummite is high-quality. Low-quality nuummite stones that aren’t as flashy or iridescent as high-quality collection specimens are still nuummite.

Pictured above: Carved larvikite tower at Erbit Stones and Gems Museum in Iraq | Image credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC-BY-SA-4.0

How can I distinguish genuine nuummite from imitations or treated stones?

In other words, how can you tell if nuummite is real? To see if you have a real or fake nuummite, look for iridescent flecks shaped like lightning bolts across a light gray or dark surface. The stone’s flecks should reflect iridescence when turned under the light.

Nuummite isn’t known to be treated, so evidence of treatment on a supposed “nuummite” stone is also a good sign that it’s not really nuummite.

Are there any metaphysical properties associated with nuummite?

Absolutely! Besides being hailed by some as the “Philosopher’s Stone” of ancient alchemist lore, nuummite is also believed to:

• Ground you

• Renew vitality

• Facilitate transformative journeys

• Dispel negativity

• Open spiritual lines of communication

• Open your third eye and crown chakras

• Help you appreciate the cycle of life, death, and rebirth

Nuummite symbolizes empowerment, ancient wisdom, and the connection between the physical and metaphysical world.

What are the primary uses of nuummite in jewelry and other applications?

Currently, nuummite isn’t used for industrial purposes but it does have many uses in jewelry and decor!

Most nuummite decor features tumbled stones, carvings, slices, or rough specimens.

The majority of nuummite jewelry uses cabochons — like those set in rings or pendants — or beads. Beaded jewelry may have standard round nuummite beads or more unique “chip” beads with irregular shapes.

Many crystal healers like to use nuummite thumb stones, palm stones, or cabochons to access nuummite’s spiritual benefits.

Are there any famous or significant pieces featuring nuummite?

So far, nuummite hasn’t been featured in any celebrity jewelry or famous media. That said, some of the original Nuuk samples that Giesecke collected in 1810 are in the Mineralogical Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Unlock Your Potential with Nuummite!

Though it may not look exactly like the philosopher’s stone from Harry Potter, nuummite’s mysterious depth and mystical wisdom have earned it this title.

Even if you’re not as spiritual, nuummite’s shimmering iridescence can still bring out your inner light and encourage you to embrace it as you step into your newfound potential.

Buy nuummite gemstones today!

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