Howlite was first discovered in Nova Scotia in 1868 by Henry How, who originally named the mineral silicoboro-calcite. How’s discovery inspired the name howlite. Since then, Tick Canyon in Los Angeles County, northwest of Pasadena, has become a well-known source of this distinctive white mineral, often marked with black or brown veins.
The Accidental Discovery of Tick Canyon Howlite
The discovery of borate deposits led to the development of the Sterling Borax Mine in Tick Canyon. Borate minerals have properties that make them economically valuable, and mining operations continued for more than a decade. Howlite was a byproduct of these operations. The mine focused on borate minerals and discarded howlite as waste. Rockhounds and collectors later recognized its value as a lapidary material, appreciating its aesthetic porcelain-white color and distinctive dark veining.
How to Spot Dyed Howlite Sold as Turquoise
If you have ever been to a rock and gem show, you might find different beads, carvings, or jewelry sold as genuine turquoise at low prices. If you think they are too good to be true, that might be the case. There are shortcuts everywhere, and here is no exception. Throughout history, turquoise has been such an unmistakable and highly sought-after stone that prices have almost always reflected this. Because of the porosity and similarities in pattern, many learn how to make turquoise using howlite that has been dyed and used as a cheaper substitute to sell at these higher prices. Here are a few tricks to spot the stand-in.
First, notice the difference in hardness. Howlite has a hardness of about 3.5 on the Mohs scale; turquoise can range from 5 to 6. If given the chance to scratch howlite, it will be scratched easily; genuine turquoise is more resistant to scratching. Soaking acetone on cotton and rubbing it against the stone will produce blue on the swab or a whiter patch on the stone if you have an imitation turquoise. This test should be done with caution, because it can damage the stone.
My best advice is to ask the seller for information about the stone, such as the name and location. If you feel skeptical, you might be right.
How to Cut and Shape Tick Canyon Howlite
Slabbing this material is simple because there is no wrong direction to slab on the saw. Depending on the size of your rough, either clamp it tightly on a larger blade or choose to manually push through on a smaller saw. Generally, I choose to pick softball-sized chunks to cut on my 10-inch blade because of how quick and easy each cut is. That way, if I’m left unsatisfied by the cut, I can change direction to find the visually best patterns possible. Be sure to use water instead of oil for your blade, as the oil might cause some discoloration from the typical porcelain white color.
Howlite is a great material to practice with when working with softer materials because of its low cost and hardness. Even so, I would suggest starting on a used 80-grit or 220-grit steel wheel and slowly getting a feel for how quickly it grinds away. I typically skip onto the 140-grit soft resin wheel and continue my shaping there. At this stage, I focus on shaping the girdle and dome, taking care not to sand away my desired design. Following this stage is the 280-grit soft resin wheel to remove any scratches remaining. Because of the pearly white, make sure you have a well-lit station to carefully observe the stone. I’ve let scratches pass, assuming I removed them all.
Polishing & Finishing Your Tick Canyon Cab
Now you can continue onto the 600-grit soft resin wheel to prepare your pre-polishing and continue onward to your routine polishing set-up. You can end on either 8000 or 14,000 grit, leaving you with a gorgeous high polish. You can also use Zam polishing compound to give it that extra boost.
Tick Canyon howlite offers rockhounds an affordable material for cutting and polishing while showcasing the distinctive veining that makes each piece different. What was once discarded as mining waste is now a useful lapidary material for collectors and cabochon makers.
This story about Tick Canyon howlite previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Ben Kaniuth.
