MSG1282: NUUMMITE Crystals (nuumite, nummite, nummit)

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

Sign up for our weekly auction notification N-u-u-m-m-i-t-e , Rough Form - Crystals First - a note on spelling: Nuummite , (not nummite, not nuumite, not nummit). (This is a relatively new stone for the marketplace. It's name comes from the locality w it is found - Nuuk, Greenland, and is often spelled incorrectly. Not that I'm a stickler for spelling, but many folks are starting to offer cabochons, tumbled stones, and rough - and misspellings will make it hard for folks to find the wonderful gems being offered....) This auction is for an exceedingly rare piece of crystal nuummite. Nuummite is usually found fully metamorphisized (squeezed by mother nature) into solid gem material. This piece shows the elongated sheaf-like groups of crystals which form the amazing irridescense of nuummite - a very rare occurrence. T are large areas of crystal sheafs, gli stening black like obsidian on top of a matrix of gem quality nuummite. (pics below) This amazing collector piece has a certain magic with the shimmering plates and rich black color, interrupted by the "flashes" of blue, yellow and green. This is the first piece I've seen which shows individual crystals - simply amazing.... Of course it could be cut up into cabochons, but I thought this piece might be an excellent example of this rare mineral combination as a collector item, or fit perfectly in a collection of mystical stones.... We sell nuummite rough at $0.40/gram, and this piece is almost 1 kg.That's $400.00 just for the gem material. Are the crystals worth more than plain old gem material? You decide.... Almost 7" wide, over 2 pounds! [Left - an example of nuummite in cabochon form - a rare and unique gemstone] Nuummite is found in an area slightly north of Nuuk, Greenland - accessible only by boat. The area w Nuummite occurs is in the so-called 'Isuakasia' iron ore region, the origin of which dates back almost four billion years. Nuummite has been used rather widely for untold centuries as beads and ornamental stones. The locality is high in the mountains and requires lugging heavy mining equipment up to retrieve the best specimens. These areas produce some of the oldest stones found on earth, and Nuummite falls in this category. Geologically speaking, nuummite is of volcanic origin and was formed about 3 billion years ago. Subsequent influences on the rock (metamorphism) have given rise to the striking mixture of crystals which gives Nuummite its unique appearance. Rocks resembling nuummite are also found in a few minor occurrences in the USA, but it is only in the Greenland type that coloration is developed well enough for the stone to be suitable for gemstones At first glance, Nuummite appears similar to laboradite but upon closer examination the beauty of nuummite and its schiller effect is astonishing. Laboradite usually shows broad splotches of "flash" while the smaller mixture of elongated crystals in nuummite (often in sheaf-like groups) create a striking gemstone. In the transition between the individual crystals (and especially the thin ones), an optical effect is created causing a special "inner" golden brown glow. This effect is also called iridescence, and is especially distinct on polished surfaces. The result is that the crystals appear as bright lamellae, almost like flames in a fire. The colors vary somewhat between reddish, greenish, and bluish hues, sometimes even within the same lamella. Between the bright lamellae, the color is dark brown to black Nuummite is generally easy to polish, even though, in certain qualities of stones with many parallel crystals, it can be difficult to avoid holes and cracks. The usual shape is cabochon, but other convex finishes also produce pleasing results. In larger pieces it is possible to retain most of the colors of the iridescence, so that one end of the cabochon has a golden hue while the opposite end has a bluish tone. Nuummite is well suited to mounting in both gold and silver.... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.