Description
Turquenite is the blue variety of howlite. The mineral howlite is a calcium borosilicate hydroxide, with the chemical formula Ca2B5SiO9(OH)5. Howlite crystals are white and usually black-veined. They have a monoclinic structure. Howlite usually occurs in nodular units (massive minerals with a veined surface). The mineral is neither magnetic nor radioactive. Howlite is named after the Canadian chemist, geologist, and mineralogist Henry How, who discovered the mineral in 1868 in Brookville, Nova Scotia, Canada. Howlite is often used to decorate jewelry. Because of its porous structure, it is often colored to imitate other minerals. This is primarily done to mimic the much more valuable turquoise. It is then referred to as turquenite.
