nucci60

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turquoise is now howlite?

Bought the turquoise watch (0109) a few months ago. It was presented as a "genuine" turquoise

dial. This morning (12/20) ,The shop, with Michael , is now calling it a HOWLITE dial, which

is not genuine turquoise. "things that make you go Hmmmm! Did they change the

dial or was it always fake?

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#2

Today, 09:48 AM

goldie'sdad

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Maybe the first batch were turquoise and they changed the dail based upon what they had

available.

goldie'sdad

#3

Today, 10:10 AM

jeane519

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Whenever I looked at it online, it was shown as howlite. Daniel did call it turquoise when on

ShopNBC 12-19-10. I will venture to say that it has always been howlite, which is a common

substitute for turquoise in the jewelry industry. You can find a lot of information about turquoise

substitutes on the internet.

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#4

Today, 10:21 AM

the B

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Bet you are Right

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeane519

Whenever I looked at it online, it was shown as howlite. Daniel did call it turquoise when on

ShopNBC 12-19-10. I will venture to say that it has always been howlite, which is a common

substitute for turquoise in the jewelry industry. You can find a lot of information about

turquoise substitutes on the internet.

Sounds abut right!

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#5

Today, 10:38 AM

mrblue

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Bob .. you may want to ask Eyal next time he does a chat with us on this forum ... Blue

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#6

Today, 10:41 AM

TimLovesWatches

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Quote:

Originally Posted by mrblue

Bob .. you may want to ask Eyal next time he does a chat with us on this forum ... Blue

Any idea when the next chat might be?? __________________

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#7

Today, 10:55 AM

nucci60

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Quote:

Originally Posted by jeane519

Whenever I looked at it online, it was shown as howlite. Daniel did call it turquoise when on

ShopNBC 12-19-10. I will venture to say that it has always been howlite, which is a common

substitute for turquoise in the jewelry industry. You can find a lot of information about

turquoise substitutes on the internet.

You may be correct that it was always Howlite, but it WAS advertised as genuine turquoise. I

have had this since the summer. If you look up "howlite", it is used as an inexpensive (cheap)

substitue for the real article.

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#8

Today, 11:01 AM

Flyback

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Couldn't resist finding out more about Howlite.

Howlite, scientifically called a calcium borosilicate hydroxide, is a silicate mineral often used to

replicate turquoise. In nature, the stone is white or grey with dark stripes. Although the mineral

is often legitimately sold, it is occasionally pawned by dealers as real turquoise, which raises the

price considerably.

The mineral was discovered by and named for Henry How, a 19th century Canadian geologist.

Initial deposits of howlite were found in How’s native Nova Scotia, but have since been

uncovered in Southern California as well. The mineral is now generally mined for its use as an

imitation stone, although some New Age practices use undyed stones for meditation.

The mineral has a porous structure that allows it to accept dyes uncommonly well. Because of

the characteristic streaks found in turquoise, howlite makes an excellent substitute. The Mohs

scale hardness of the mineral is only 3.5, considerably lower than the average turquoise hardness

of 5-6. This rating means that the imitation is more likely to be scratched or fractured than the

authentic stone.

Other than this difference, the two stones are nearly identical, and some claim that even jewelers

have difficulty telling them apart in absence of ultra-violet (UV) testing. In UV tests, howlite

often appears to give off colored fluorescent glows. It also dissolves quickly in hydrochloric acid

without causing bubbling, something turquoise will not do.

In recent years, howlite has been used as a substitute for several other minerals. The similarly

streaky lapis lazuli is a much darker blue than turquoise, but howlite’s porous surface can soak

up enough dye to make a worthy substitute. The mineral also can be dyed to make an excellent

imitation of red coral. This last use has caused great happiness among environmental activists,

as the harvesting of coral for commercial purposes has shown to cause severe and lasting

damage to underwater ecosystems.

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#9

Today, 11:51 AM

407guy

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Oh boy... how long before someone posts this is just another "circling black helicopters" issue?

Anyway, to the OP, the only way you are going to know is pull the watch part and have it

looked at. Bummer for you if it's not what you thought you had bought. Good luck though.

Well, looked at Amazon and this is what they have for the watch...

Textured accents and a bold dial give the Invicta Men's Collection Stainless Steel Turquoise

Stone Dial Watch eye-catching style in an easy-to-read design. The round silver-tone stainless

steel case and unidirectional bezel feature a glossy polish, and the bezel displays Arabic

numerals at the 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-minute positions. A turquoise blue dial displays luminous

silver-tone rectangular quarter-hour indices, luminous silver-tone round indices at each

remaining hour position, and the Arabic numeral 12 at 12 o'clock. The thick silver-tone

luminous hour, minute, spade-shaped second hand, and an outside minute track add to the

simple reading of this timepiece. A polished silver-tone stainless steel bracelet features textured

center links and securely fastens by a fold-over clasp with safety. This timepiece offers reliable

Swiss quartz movement and is protected by a durable flame-fusion crystal. The watch is water

resistant to a depth of 330 feet (100 meters).

.

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Last edited by 407guy; Today at 11:56 AM. Reason: added Amazon info

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#10

Today, 11:53 AM

secondplace

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Quote:

Originally Posted by nucci60

You may be correct that it was always Howlite, but it WAS advertised as genuine turquoise. I

have had this since the summer. If you look up "howlite", it is used as an inexpensive (cheap)

substitue for the real article.

IF true, this is disturbing and appears to follow a pattern. With the recent issues that I have read

about here where Swiss(sometimes)=Chinese(?) , Sandstone= Goldstone(?), and now

Turquoise=Howlite(?) This is just wrong no matter how you slice it intentional or not. SHOP

has a duty to it's customers to be clear what you are buying. If the vendor is giving them bad

information and has done so before then they should vet the information more closely. You

should expect to get what you pay for no matter what the price. Truth in advertising seems to be

just a suggestion these days (not just at SHOP). What's next, meteorite= the engine block of your

uncles 57' Chevy? Caveat Emptor.

Good luck with this issue. Hopefully it is resolved to your satisfaction.

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Last edited by secondplace; Today at 11:58 AM. Reason: addition to post

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#11

Today, 11:58 AM

Arifani247

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If it was my watch, I'd call Invicta and ask...is it turquoise or is it howlite...they should be able to

tell you from model number and purchase date. I think it would be interesting to find out and

then post the answer.

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#12

Today, 12:19 PM

nucci60

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyback

Couldn't resist finding out more about Howlite.

Howlite, scientifically called a calcium borosilicate hydroxide, is a silicate mineral often used

to replicate turquoise. In nature, the stone is white or grey with dark stripes. Although the

mineral is often legitimately sold, it is occasionally pawned by dealers as real turquoise,

which raises the price considerably.

The mineral was discovered by and named for Henry How, a 19th century Canadian geologist.

Initial deposits of howlite were found in How’s native Nova Scotia, but have since been

uncovered in Southern California as well. The mineral is now generally mined for its use as an

imitation stone, although some New Age practices use undyed stones for meditation.

The mineral has a porous structure that allows it to accept dyes uncommonly well. Because of

the characteristic streaks found in turquoise, howlite makes an excellent substitute. The Mohs

scale hardness of the mineral is only 3.5, considerably lower than the average turquoise

hardness of 5-6. This rating means that the imitation is more likely to be scratched or

fractured than the authentic stone.

Other than this difference, the two stones are nearly identical, and some claim that even

jewelers have difficulty telling them apart in absence of ultra-violet (UV) testing. In UV tests,

howlite often appears to give off colored fluorescent glows. It also dissolves quickly in

hydrochloric acid without causing bubbling, something turquoise will not do.

In recent years, howlite has been used as a substitute for several other minerals. The similarly

streaky lapis lazuli is a much darker blue than turquoise, but howlite’s porous surface can

soak up enough dye to make a worthy substitute. The mineral also can be dyed to make an

excellent imitation of red coral. This last use has caused great happiness among

environmental activists, as the harvesting of coral for commercial purposes has shown to

cause severe and lasting damage to underwater ecosystems.

Good info. Thanks Flyback

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#13

Today, 12:39 PM

Hawk404

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Quote:

Originally Posted by 407guy

Oh boy... how long before someone posts this is just another "circling black helicopters"

issue?

Anyway, to the OP, the only way you are going to know is pull the watch part and have it

looked at. Bummer for you if it's not what you thought you had bought. Good luck though.

<snip>

I wonder if the UV check in Flyback's post would still work even though the howlite is dyed?

That'd save tearing the thing up.

If it is, and always was, howlite perhaps the lapis and red coral versions will follow? It'd

probably make a pretty serviceable jade look-alike as well.

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#14

Today, 01:18 PM

warpig

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I'm sure the howlite was meant for Invicta's international markets, whereas the Shop got the

good stuff.

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