Whewellite Gemstone: Properties, Meanings, Value & More

Whewellite (pronounced hyoo-wuhl-lyte, rhyming with “fuel” and “light”) is a rare gemstone that can be colorless, yellow, or brown.

Whewellite is unusual in that it can form in various ways, both geologically and organically, but has a consistent chemical formula. It’s found in rocks, plants, and animals, including humans!

Intrigued yet? Stick around to learn all about the whewellite gemstone’s meaning, properties, uses, history, prices, and more!

Pictured above: Gemmy, rare example of whewellite | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

About Whewellite Stone

Whewellite is a rare semi-precious gemstone, usually reserved for collectors of unusual minerals.

Other monikers for whewellite are:

• Oxacalcite

• Oxalate of Lime

• Thierschite

• Vevellite

• Kohlenspath

Whewellite has some important uses outside of gemstones.

Whewellite Uses

First, whewellite can be used as a standard for thermogravimetric analysis, a technique for measuring materials’ thermal stability.

Whewellite has a characteristic, consistent heat decomposition process, decomposing into anhydrous calcium oxalate, calcium carbonate, and then calcium oxide at specific temperatures.

Secondly, scientists have created synthetic whewellite for research on its twinning and formation as kidney stones.

In the medical field, whewellite and weddellite are known as the most common crystalline components of urinary stones and kidney stones.

What are whewellite and weddellite kidney stones composed of? They’re both forms of calcium oxalate that form when oxalates bind to calcium (forming crystals) and aren’t removed in the urine, accumulating into kidney stones (or renal calculi).

While both are calcium oxalate hydrates, the difference between whewellite and weddellite is that whewellite is a monohydrate, while weddellite is a dihydrate.

As such, weddellite contains more water, so it occurs in different crystal habits — usually small, spherical, yellow to light brown clusters or sharp platelets.

Speaking of composition and crystal habits, let’s get into whewellite’s mineral traits.

Pictured above: Large, outstanding whewellite specimen with white, tabular, and lustrous main crystal on matrix | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Whewellite Specifications & Characteristics

Whewellite is a hydrated calcium oxalate, specifically calcium oxalate monohydrate, with the formula CaC2O4·H2O.

An “oxalate” is a salt or ester (organic compound resulting from acid and alcohol reacting) of oxalic acid, an organic and highly acidic compound produced by many plants and animals.

The crystals of whewellite can be equant or short and prismatic, usually distorted with irregular faces. Crystal twinning is very common on {101}, often contact twinning. These contact twins can be pseudo-orthorhombic and prismatic or heart-shaped. The mineral also occurs as cleavable masses.

Whewellite mineral properties listed:

• Mohs hardness: 2.5-3

• Color: Colorless, white, pale yellow, pale brown, gray, yellowish-brown

• Crystal structure: Monoclinic

• Luster: Vitreous, pearly on {010} and some cleavages

• Transparency: Transparent to translucent

• Refractive index: 1.489-1.651

• Density: 2.19-2.25

• Cleavage: Distinct/good on {101}; imperfect/poor on {010}; indistinct on {001} & {110}

• Fracture: Conchoidal

• Streak: White

• Luminescence: None

• Pleochroism: None

• Birefringence: 0.159-0.163

• Dispersion: 0.034 to none

Next, we’ll turn back the clock to explore whewellite’s history.

Pictured above: Whewellite, provenance unknown. Lille Natural History Museum (translated from French) | Image credit: Vassil, Public domain

Whewellite History

The bladder stones that whewellite is often part of go back to ancient civilizations, with the earliest known written references of symptoms and treatments present in Mesopotamian medical texts dating back to 3,200 to 1,200 BC.

However, the whewellite mineral wouldn’t be officially discovered and described for centuries after this.

English crystallographer Henry James Brooke described whewellite first in 1840 as “crystallized native oxalate of lime.”

In 1852, Brooke, British mineralogist and geologist William Phillips, and Welsh mineralogist William Hallowes Miller wrote a lengthier, more official description of the mineral with the name “whewellite.”

The three men named the mineral “whewellite” after William H. Whewell. Whewell was a renowned English polymath, along with being an Anglican priest, science historian, theologian, and philosopher. He invented crystallographic indexing and coined many scientific words, such as “scientist,” “physicist,” “electrode,” “ion,” and others.

The type locality of the original whewellite description is uncertain, but historians think it was likely Hungary or Cavnic, Romania.

Other names used for whewellite over time were:

• Oxacalcite: Used by American chemist Charles Upham Shepard in 1844

• Thierschite: Used by German scientist Justus Freiherr von Liebig in 1853 (for unanalyzed calcium oxalate coating a marble on the Parthenon in Athens, Greece)

Kohlenspath: Used by German mineralogist Friedrich August Frenzel in 1889

The International Mineralogical Association (IMA) discredited the name “thierschite” in 1967 and subsequently only approved “whewellite” as this mineral’s name.

Whewellite crystals were first discovered in Czechia in 1897, and from 1987 to 2000, the only facetable whewellite crystals ever found were recovered from Czechian deposits.

Pictured above: Old-time collection of 19 sharp, water-clear, prismatic whewellite crystals from Saxony, Germany; Robert Whitmore Collection; Accompanied by Lazard Cahn label dating 1915 to 1940 | Image credit: Rob Lavinsky, iRocks.com – CC-BY-SA-3.0

Whewellite Healing Properties

As a commonly white healing stone, whewellite’s meaning reflects the purifying and harmonizing properties of other white gemstones. It can also be used as a crown chakra stone.

Physical Healing

Physically, whewellite is said to treat issues related to:

• Detoxing

• Insomnia

• Immune system function

Emotional Healing

Emotionally, crystal healers recommend whewellite for:

• Healing past trauma

• Finding your purpose

• Recalling & interpreting dreams

• Boosting mental clarity

• Encouraging positivity over cynicism

• Promoting greater acceptance

Clearly, whewellite crystals have healing value, but what about gemstone value?

Whewellite Gemstone Properties

Since whewellite is so rarely available as a gemstone, whewellite gemstone value isn’t graded like other gems. However, we’ll still go over how the standard value factors apply to whewellite:

• Color: Most facetable whewellites are colorless. The stone can also be pale shades of yellow, brown, or gray.

• Cut: Whewellite is extremely rarely faceted. Facetable crystals are rarely found, plus the mineral’s cleavage, brittleness, common crystal twinning, and low hardness make cutting difficult. The stone is usually sold rough for display.

• Clarity & Transparency: Higher transparency is better for whewellite, but crystals are usually too small to show this off. Whewellite has been found as an inclusion in zircon.

• Size: The few faceted whewellites are small, ranging from 0.05 to 2.21 cts. Unsurprisingly, facetable crystals are typically quite small.

Before being cut or sold, how does whewellite form?

Pictured above: Whewellite in National Museum, Prague | Image credit: Sbisolo, Public domain

Whewellite Formation & Sources

Whewellite can form both organically (in humans, plants, and animals) and geologically.

Geologically, the mineral is found as a low-temperature primary mineral in carbonate-sulfide veins, geodes, septarian nodules, and uranium deposits, forming hydrothermally. Whewellite can also form when organic material on rocks oxidizes, and these can be found in coal seams.

Whewellite is formed on some rocks — e.g. andesites, basalts, and serpentinites — by lichens, which are complex, plant-like organisms composed of algae and fungi.

Organically, various living organisms can produce whewellite, from plants like cacti and rubber trees to animals like dogs and humans. Animals may also ingest plants containing these oxalates, which can be bad for their health.

Minerals and other compounds commonly found associated with whewellite include:

• Barite

• Calcite

• Chalcedony

• Copper

• Moolooite

• Pyrite

• Siderite

• Smythite

• Sphalerite

• Weddellite

• Waxy hydrocarbons

Geographically, where is whewellite found?

Mining Locations

The only known source of facetable whewellite crystals is the Czech Republic, but the deposit was depleted and flooded.

The top source of attractive whewellite crystals is the Nikolaevsky Mine in Primorsky Krai, Russia.

Other significant sources of whewellite minerals are:

• France

• Germany

• Hungary

• Romania

• Slovakia

• UK (England)

• USA (Montana, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah)

Pictured above: White whewellite crystal from Saxony, Germany | Image credit: Kelly Nash, CC-BY-SA-3.0

Whewellite Price & Value

Given their rarity, faceted whewellite gemstone prices are (unsurprisingly) usually highest. Faceted whewellite gems range from around $200 to over $2,200 per carat.

For whewellite rough, higher value tends to go to more attractive, fully white crystals (over more common brown specimens).

High-quality white or colorless twinned whewellite crystals range from around $300 to $2,850. Translucent white whewellite crystals go for $30 to $70.

Brown whewellite rough costs about $20 to $40. Calcite and whewellite specimens are about $100.

Whewellite Care and Maintenance

As you might’ve guessed, whewellite has a high toxicity risk because of its oxalate content. The stone's low hardness means it scratches easily, producing whewellite dust. Whewellite dust can cause irritation from skin contact and acute toxicity from ingestion.

It’s important to avoid ingesting whewellite dust by handling the stone with gloves and wearing proper safety equipment if cutting it.

Store whewellite specimens in an enclosed case away from anyone who would put them in their mouth (e.g. dogs or children).

In terms of gemstone care, keep whewellite away from acids. Only clean whewellite with warm water, mild soap, and a soft toothbrush or lint-free cloth.

Whewellite: A Truly Unique Stone!

At first glance, whewellite may seem like a plain-looking white or brown crystal. But this stone is unique under the surface — whether that’s the crystal’s attractive twinned surface or the surface of the various plants and animals that form this mineral!

Buy whewellite and other unique gemstones today!