3-4"

Howlite is hard to miss. Its bright white to ivory surface is broken up by wandering veins of gray and black, giving it a look somewhere between cracked porcelain and white marble. Each stone has its own pattern, with some heavily veined and others almost completely white.

Howlite is a calcium borosilicate hydroxide mineral that typically forms in evaporite deposits. It was first described in Nova Scotia in the 1860s and was eventually named after Canadian chemist and geologist Henry How. It’s also naturally porous, which means it takes dye incredibly well. Because of this, Howlite has spent a lot of time masquerading as turquoise. So, if you’ve ever encountered suspiciously affordable, incredibly blue “turquoise,” there’s a decent chance Howlite was involved.

On the metaphysical side of things, Howlite is associated with patience, relaxation, and calming an overactive mind. It’s often used during meditation or kept nearby when you need to slow things down and get out of your own head. Some traditions also associate it with emotional awareness and more thoughtful communication. As always, crystal metaphysics are based on spiritual traditions rather than scientific evidence, but carrying around a cool little rock as a reminder to chill out certainly can’t hurt.