Everything about the howlite stone: howlite meaning, properties, colors and benefits
What is howlite?
Howlite is a calcium borosilicate hydroxide, generally white or gray in color. Due to its gray and black veins similar to those of turquoise, it is often sold under the trade name of “white turquoise” and dyed to imitate green turquoise or blue lapis lazuli.
Howlite properties
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What is howlite made of? Howlite is a calcium borosilicate hydroxide. It is generally white or translucent or gray in color with brown, gray or black veins, very fine in texture, with a glassy luster and a Mohs hardness of 3 to 4 out of 10 (rather soft). Diamond, for example is a 10 and talc, the softest mineral, is 1.
They are never much larger than 0.39 of an inch.
The luster is glimmering or sub-vitreous, which means the luster doesn’t quite come up to that of glass. When it is scraped against a harder material, howlite leaves a white streak. Howlite will sink in water, as its specific gravity or relative density is 2.53 to 2.59 times that of water.
Howlite has no cleavage, which means there is no one direction along which the crystal will more easily break. When it is fractured the pieces are uneven or resemble seashells. This is called a conchoidal fracture.
Despite its rarity, howlite is inexpensive when compared to other semi-precious gems and easy to obtain. Its softness makes it easy to carve and polish, and it is often used to make small pieces of jewelry such as beads, whether they be round or other shapes. Howlite is also polished into cabochons, which are domed beads with flat bottoms.
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Due to its porous texture and gray and black veins similar to those of turquoise, howlite can be easily dyed to imitate other stones, especially turquoise and lapis lazuli.
History
How is it discovered and worn? Howlite is a type of mineral that was discovered in 1868 in a Nova Scotia gypsum mine by the Canadian mineralogist Henry How. The stone, which was white or translucent with brown, gray or black veins that made it resemble marble, was considered useless by the gypsum miners and often discarded.
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The gemstone’s chemical formula is repeated chains of Ca2B5SiO9(OH)5, which led to the name of silico-boro-calcite before the American earth scientist James Dwight Dana named it after him.
Where does howlite come from? The crystals have only been found in California and Nova Scotia, and there are slight differences between the crystals found in these two places.
Is howlite white turquoise?
Yes. Howlite is sometimes sold under the trade names of “white turquoise” or “white buffalo turquoise,” or the derived name “white buffalo stone” and is used to produce jewelry similar to how turquoise is used.
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In the meanwhile, natural white turquoise stone does exist. It is a variety of the unrelated gemstone turquoise which are white instead of the typical blue or green color, and is also marketed as “white buffalo turquoise”.
Unfortunately, natural white turquoise is extremely rare and soft (with a Mohs hardness of 1), which has resulted in howlite being more popular for use in jewelry than the real white turquoise.
Turquoise vs howlite
What is the difference between turquoise and howlite? Generally speaking, turquoise is much harder than howlite, with a Mohs scale rating of 5 to 6. However, real white turquoise is much softer than howlite.
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Natural white turquoise is sometimes found (even though it is really rare) and sold as white buffalo turquoise. It can be as soft as talc and needs to be reinforced to be worn as jewelry.
Since howlite is porous and takes dye well, it is often dyed to resemble green turquoise. This dyed howlite is sometimes sold as turquoise. Even if it’s not dyed, howlite is often sold as while turquoise or white buffalo turquoise even though the stones are’t related to each other.
In terms of composition, howlite is an inoborate mineral that is found in sedimentary rock, or rock that has been laid down layer by layer over eons. Turquoise is a hydrated phosphate of aluminum and copper, and though it is also found in sedimentary rock, it can also be found among igneous rock. This is rock formed by or within volcanoes. Turquoise is often found with aluminum.
Howlite can also be dyed to resemble much more expensive stones such as coral and lapis lazuli. A prospective buyer can sometimes tell if the howlite has been dyed and is a fake because the colors are a bit too perfect and too uniform.
Howlite meaning
What does howlite mean? Besides its beauty as a gemstone, the howlite meanings are beautiful too. It means stillness and compassion, and thus is often used as a healing stone for soothing and calming.
Blue howlite meaning
Even howlite that is dyed blue can have a purpose. Besides allowing for a night of restorative sleep, blue howlite helps the person recall their dreams and benefit from the insight the dreams may bring.
Howlite healing properties and benefits
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Howlite spiritual healing properties
When howlite isn’t helping a person meditate or get a good night’s sleep, it helps them open themselves up to spiritual realms and the reception of insight and wisdom.
It even helps a person undergo out-of-body experiences, remember their past lives and even the state between their past lives. It can take them to completely different dimensions or times. This is best achieved if the stone is placed on the third eye in the center of the person’s forehead.
Howlite emotional healing properties
Because howlite is such a calming stone, it helps a person control and remove rage and learn patience. If it is placed in a person’s pocket, it will actually absorb anger. It absorbs not only the wearer’s anger but any anger that is directed at them.
The howlite stone also overcomes selfishness and bolsters a person’s best characteristics.
The anger and turmoil howlite absorbs and soothes don’t just come from the person’s present life but from their past lives. The stone heals the person of the old wounds that trigger present anger and upset.
Howlite physical healing properties
When it comes to physical healing, howlite balances the body’s calcium levels and supports the health of the teeth, the bones, the soft tissue and other bodily systems that need calcium.
It is especially good to use when a person is suffering from insomnia, for it brings very soothing and calming vibrations. Putting it under the pillow helps the user achieve a restful sleep, especially if their insomnia is caused by their mind being restless.
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Howlite uses
Though howlite placed on the third eye is especially powerful, it does not have to be placed there to be effective. A person can simply hold a stone in their hand for it to work, or they can place a grid of howlite stones around their bed to banish insomnia and quiet anger.
Howlite is also an excellent stone for meditation for it calms down the mind.
Where to buy howlite stones and howlite jewelry?
If you want to buy a howlite stone and howlite jewelry ranging from $0.5-$100, you can check Etsy. You can buy a raw howlite stone, howlite beads or howlite jewelry, like a howlite ring, a howlite necklace and a howlite bracelet that are affordable and of high quality and have them delivered to your house fast.
Alternatively, if you want to buy high end howlite jewelry ranging from $50-$1000, you can check Kendra Scott. Their products are of high quality and are crafted in Austin, Texas. You can also have all the products delivered to your home.
Cleansing and recharging the howlite stones
1. Cleanse with salt
The standard way to cleanse and purify a stone is to use salt.
How do we do it? If you use large grains of salt, then simply put the salt on a plate or dish and then bury the stone within the salt for about 24 hours. Reminder, it can be longer than 24 hours, but not shorter.
This is very effective and can last up to 3 months with a single purification, also called 100-day purification.
If we use small grains of salt instead, we need to prepare a liquid in the ratio of 10 grams of kosher salt to 500 grams of water, and put the crystal into the liquid and soak it for 24 hours.
Since the small grains of salt are less energetic, you can carry it for about 1 month continuously for one purification.
However, this method can not be applied to certain pieces of gemstone jewerly, such as pendants wrapped with K gold or silver, because the metal will be eroded.
2. Cleanse with clear water
Crystals and their energy come from nature, so we can also use natural methods to help cleanse the stone.
Place the stone in a flowing stream or river or even tap water and rinse it with water for 20 minutes before drying it.
If this is not possible, buy a bottle of mineral water and soak the crystal in it for 24 hours. This helps to remove the negative energy.
3. Recharge under sunlight
Place your crystal under sunlight for a few hours so that the most powerful forces of nature can purify and charge your crystal.
But remember, this method does not work with colored stones such as amethyst, citrine or rose quartz, because these crystals contain elements such as Fe (iron) and Cu (copper), whose colors will fade due to prolonged exposure to the sunshine and high temperatures.
4. Recharge in the moonlight
On the night of the full moon, place the crystals on a windowsill facing the moon. You can also place them outside if it is safe to do so. If needed, cover them with a glass jar or bowl to provide extra protection. Moonlight will charge the crystals overnight.
To wrap up
In conclusion, the howlite stone has been appreciated since ancient times and remain a beautiful stone today. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on one of these beautiful stones, you will absolutely not regret it.
We hope this article has given you the insight you need to find the perfect gift for a loved one. Feel to share your thoughts below or check other articles on gemstones that we have published.
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