Purchased this necklace from a high-end estate sale in Dallas, Texas. I took it to a jeweler who was unfamiliar with turquoise and he wasn’t able to authenticate. Hoping to hear from you turquoise experts, as I only have a few pieces and definitely not an expert.
Welcome to Turquoise People. I’m sorry, but this is not turquoise. It looks like either Magnesite or Howlite, 2 stones which are sometimes dyed to look like turquoise (although these obviously are not dyed). Turquoise has a particular chemical composition, and even though it may be a very pale blue, it is not white.
There really is no such thing as “white turquoise,” although sometimes sellers either either fudge the truth or honesty don’t know, and call it that.
Edit: after reading the below article, apparently there are legit sellers that may refer to it as White Buffalo turquoise, and don’t mean it wrongly, but I still find it misleading.
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Here is a nice explination of what white turquoise is from Durango Silver.
While some mines do produce a mineral that might test as turquoisee, it is very chalky with a mohs hardness of about 1.
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Very interesting, although to me it just made the whole thing even more murky. This screenshot is from the above link.
However I don’t think this piece is even White Buffalo. It really looks like Magnesite.
Here’s a link to a previous thread with a discussion of the different white stones. Part way down Jason put a link to a good article.
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Hi and welcome. Can you share what the jeweler had to say about the stones? It’s always informative for us to hear that type of info.
I hope you love it no matter its composition and that you paid a price that made sense for you. Thanks for sharing.
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The jeweler said that he couldn’t help me, as he didn’t know anything about semi-precious stones, or turquoise. I brought the necklace home and it’s been sitting in a drawer for two years.
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I think I would try to find a certified gemologist, or see if someone at a Nature Museum might be able to help you identify it. Perhaps the museum would have a rock or stone expert on staff who might know a little bit about identifying this. I have had similar problems asking a general jeweler to differentiate real turquoise from block or identifying semi-precious stones; it’s not something all are trained to recognize. You need a gemologist or rock expert who would be more familiar with stone makeup and access to a microscope.
There is a difference in the look of white buffalo stone, howlite, and magnesite. Just from the pictures I see here, yours look more like howlite.
Here’s an article about differences between howlite and magnesite, with lots of pictures. Magnesite vs Howlite - How To Tell Them Apart (With Photos) This says howlite glows under UV light.
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I will try to locate a local gemologist and/or a nature museum. Those are very helpful suggestions. Thanks a million 
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that’s most likely howlite. “White Buffalo” from the Ottesons has a very different look and form, frequently chunkier or heavier black ribbon matrix. Wild horse magnesite is sometimes called white turquoise, but often has more brownish matrix.
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