Howlite - Magnesite Tumbled Stones (1-1.50 Inch - AA Grade - 24-40 Pieces Per Pound) Ethically Sourced from Brazil

Visually identical to howlite, magnesite is a stone that features a brilliant white color with grey or black streaking. Higher quality stones tend to have more contrast between the veining and white matrix where in lower grades the streaking can be almost imperceptible from the host rock. The mineral has a lot of confusion associated with it, most importantly being extensively marketed as howlite. Given the strong marketing of this mineral as howlite we refer to it as howlite – magnesite. Not only is the overwhelming majority of howlite on the market really magnesite, but because of the porous nature of the stone and unique streaking patterns it has been commonly dyed to create imitation turquoise, also known as turquenite (which is an clever way to market magnestite that has been dyed blue). Coming across true howlite is exceptionally rare and it is only found in a few locations in the world, most of which have ceased production. We sporadically source true howlite from Africa in very small quantities that sometimes contains subtle pink hue to it. Nevertheless despite some of the misunderstandings magnesite is a very attractive stone and it shares many similar characteristics and properties as howlite.