Borate Mineral
Howlite
Howlite has an unusual claim among stones on this site: in its own natural state it's white-to-grey with dark veining and largely unremarkable, but it has become one of the single most commonly dyed imitation materials in the entire crystal trade, because its porous white structure takes dye exceptionally well and its natural veining pattern can pass for turquoise's matrix or lapis lazuli's calcite veining once colored. First described in 1868 and named for the Canadian geologist Henry How, it carries no ancient tradition of its own — its modern reputation is almost entirely tied to standing in for other, more historically significant stones.
The geology — what Howlite actually is
- Mineral class
- Borate (calcium borosilicate)
- Chemical formula
- Ca2B5SiO9(OH)5
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5
What causes the color: In its natural state, howlite is white to grey with distinctive dark grey-to-black veining from included minerals — it has no significant natural color of its own, which is precisely why it takes dye so readily and so convincingly.
How it forms: Forms as a borate mineral in evaporite deposits, associated with borax and related evaporite minerals in arid basin settings where boron-rich water has evaporated and concentrated over time.
- California and Nevada, USA (including the Death Valley region, where it was first described)
- Nova Scotia, Canada
- Turkey
Treatments & imitations: Near-universally dyed when sold as anything other than plain natural white/grey howlite. Dyed blue howlite is the single most common turquoise imitation on the market, and deep-blue-dyed howlite is also commonly sold as fake lapis lazuli.
Real vs. fake: Genuine, undyed howlite is straightforward to identify by its natural white-to-grey color with visible dark veining. Identifying dyed howlite masquerading as another stone requires checking whether the veining pattern matches — howlite's natural veins tend to look like fine, spidery cracks rather than turquoise's blotchier matrix or lapis's combined calcite-and-pyrite pattern, and pressing a cotton swab dipped in acetone against a hidden spot will usually pull color off a dyed piece within seconds.
The tradition — how people use Howlite
Historical use: Howlite was first formally described and named only in 1868, for the Canadian geologist Henry How, making it one of the more recently identified minerals discussed on this site — it has no ancient documented cultural or ceremonial tradition of its own, and its entire popular reputation is built around its modern use as a dye base for imitating older, more historically significant stones.
Metaphysical tradition: Calm and patience, tied to reducing overactive thoughts, are what modern practitioners associate with howlite at the crown chakra — sold both in its natural white form for that purpose and, more commonly, dyed to carry other stones' traditional associations instead.
How to use it: Frequently worn as jewelry or kept near the bed, whether in its natural white form or dyed to resemble another stone.
Cleansing & care: IMPORTANT: soft (Mohs 3.5) and porous — avoid soaking it in water, especially if it's dyed, since color can bleed or fade; a light pass with a dry cloth is the safer routine.
Frequently asked questions
Is most 'turquoise' jewelry actually howlite?
A significant amount of inexpensive 'turquoise' jewelry is dyed howlite rather than genuine turquoise — howlite's porous white structure takes blue dye readily, and its natural veining can pass for turquoise's matrix at a glance, especially in lower-cost pieces.
Is undyed, natural white howlite worth buying on its own merits?
It genuinely can be, and some buyers specifically seek it out for exactly that reason — natural howlite's crown-chakra calm-and-patience reputation applies to the plain white form directly, and choosing it undyed sidesteps any question about which other stone's tradition a piece is supposedly standing in for, since the dyed versions are always explicitly imitating something else rather than carrying a reputation of their own.
Does howlite have its own historical tradition?
Not an ancient one — it was first described and named only in 1868. Its modern popularity and reputation are almost entirely tied to its use as a dye base for imitating older stones like turquoise and lapis lazuli, worth being transparent about.
Related crystals
Turquoise
Phosphate Mineral
Turquoise has been mined from the same Sinai Peninsula deposits for roughly 6,000 years, making it one of the longest continuously-worked gem sources on Earth, and its name has nothing to do with where it's actually found — it comes from the French for 'Turkish stone,' since medieval European traders received Persian and other Central Asian turquoise via Turkish middlemen. Genuinely fine, untreated turquoise has become increasingly rare, and the trade's response — extensive stabilization and dyeing — is now so standard that untreated material is the exception rather than the rule in most commercial jewelry.
Lapis Lazuli
Metamorphic Rock
Lapis lazuli isn't a single mineral at all — it's a metamorphic rock, a mixture of the blue mineral lazurite (usually 25-40% of the mass) bound together with white calcite and flecked with brassy pyrite, which is why a genuine piece almost never shows one flat, even blue. The same Afghan mountain deposits have been worked for roughly 6,000 years without interruption, and ground lapis became the source material for ultramarine, the most expensive blue pigment in Western art history before synthetic alternatives existed.
Moonstone
Feldspar Group
Moonstone is a variety of feldspar — specifically orthoclase or, in the finest material, adularia — and the soft, floating blue-white glow it's named for (called adularescence) isn't a surface coating or dye at all: it's an optical effect caused by light scattering off microscopically thin, alternating layers of two different feldspar minerals that separated inside the crystal as it cooled slowly underground, a process mineralogists call exsolution.
Selenite
Gypsum Family
Selenite is the clear-to-white, fibrous or bladed variety of gypsum — calcium sulfate dihydrate — and it's the single softest crystal commonly sold in the crystal trade: at Mohs 2, it's soft enough to scratch with a fingernail, which is both its most distinctive identifying feature and the reason it needs genuinely different care than the quartz-family stones most people are used to. Its name comes from Selene, the Greek moon goddess, for its pale, softly glowing luster.
Where to buy Howlite
We don't have an active affiliate program live yet, so instead of a placeholder link, here's the same buying guidance we'd give a friend.
Specialty mineral dealers & gem shows
The most reliable source for anything beyond common tumbled stones — sellers who specialize in minerals tend to disclose treatments and localities unprompted, because their repeat customers ask.
GIA/AGS-affiliated jewelers
For cut gemstones meant for jewelry (not raw specimens), a seller who can produce or reference an independent lab report (GIA, AGS) removes almost all of the real-vs-fake guesswork.
Marketplace sellers with a track record
Etsy and similar marketplaces host genuine small mineral dealers alongside mislabeled resin castings — check seller reviews specifically for photos of received items, not just star ratings.
Local rock & gem shops
Being able to handle a piece before buying lets you apply the weight and hardness checks described on each stone's own page — something no photo can substitute for.
Whichever seller you choose, ask directly whether the stone is natural or synthetic, and whether it's been treated (heated, dyed, irradiated) — a straightforward answer is the single best signal of a trustworthy seller, more useful than any star rating.
Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you buy through them, GemGlow may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only link to sellers we'd genuinely recommend.
Sources and factual basis for the geology above: see our methodology.