turquoise is now howlite
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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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nucci60
#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
mrblue
#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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