Howlite Tumbled Gemstone

Howlite is safe to handle and wear. It is soft and porous, so avoid prolonged water exposure, ultrasonic cleaners, and harsh chemicals, which can strip dye or dull the surface. Much of the blue material sold as 'Turquenite' or 'white turquoise' is dyed Howlite (sometimes dyed Magnesite) rather than genuine Turquoise — a distinction worth knowing before you buy.

Howlite was first identified in 1868 by Canadian chemist and geologist Henry How, who encountered the unfamiliar white mineral in a gypsum quarry near Windsor, Nova Scotia. Mineralogist James Dwight Dana later named the stone in his honor. Because Howlite's porous, chalky-white surface takes dye exceptionally well, it has long been colored to imitate costlier stones — most often dyed blue and sold under trade names like Turquenite as a stand-in for turquoise, or dyed red to mimic coral.

Howlite is a calcium borosilicate hydroxide mineral that forms as nodular, cauliflower-like masses within sedimentary borate and gypsum evaporite deposits. It is opaque and relatively soft at 3.5 on the Mohs scale, and is easily recognized by the fine, grey-to-black web-like veining that runs through its chalky white body, a pattern created by trace mineral impurities during formation.

• Because Howlite was only identified in the 19th century, it carries no classical mythology of its own; modern crystal lore adopted it instead as a stone of patience and emotional restraint.
• A widespread modern practice holds that a piece of Howlite placed beneath the pillow draws out a racing mind and eases the way toward sleep.
• Its ivory-white body and gentle nature led early crystal healers to associate Howlite with the Moon's calming, reflective qualities.