New Camera

So, since my Canon took a header, I thought it might be wise to have a backup camera. Circuit City is having a sale, so I went tonight and picked up a Nikon CoolPix 4600 for $150. I'll let you know how it works out, but so far it looks like it will do the trick, even if I do have to use a tripod. I love my A70 and will be glad to get it back from Canon again, but this Nikon seems a decent backup.

The other day I had to go to my old bead store to buy a sterling silver heart ring for a heart lasso necklace, and while I was there, I shopped their semi-precious strands, because even though I know it costs me a lot more there than it does elsewhere, they get cool stuff. And in fact, I got some gorgeous rose quartz strands and some hematite tubes, onyx rectangular tubes, some sort of cathedral-cut onyx beads, howlite heishe beads, and little 4x4mm turquoise and howlite cubes. I went for the greys, blacks and whites, because a little birdy (Lauren) told me that's what's in this winter. (I have been remiss in my fashion forward research lately.)

I really like the howlite. Normally, I'm not a fan of howlite, but the greys in what I got are really soft and nice, and the beads look like snow. They're really great. :)

I did some research on howlite, and unfortunately, there's not much out there, but here's what I got:

Once called "white buffalo" by some Native Americans, howlite is a soft stone rating 2.5 - 3.5 on the Mohs scale. Most notable for it's ability to masquerade as turquoise and some other semi-precious stones, howlite draws its name from that of its discoverer, Nova Scotian geologist Henry How. Often erroneously labelled "white jasper," howlite isn't jasper at all, but a much softer stone rating 2.5 - 3.5 on the Mohs scale. Its soft nature makes howlite ideal for carving, and slabs of the material are often painted with scenes and designs that make artistic use of the veins. Howlite represents patience and is often worn to help increase observation, memory, inner peace. It is said howlite reflects offensive behavior and is a good stone to wear to help positively resolve confrontation. Because of it's softness, care should be taken with howlite jewelry. It is found in most substantial quantities in Canada and California, with smaller deposits located in Germany and Serbia.

I also discovered a "new" kind of turquoise. Discovered in the Dry Creek Mine on the Shoshone Indian Reservation near Battle Mountain, Nevada, in 1993, Sacred Buffalo turquoise is rare and fairly new to the jewelry scene. Sometimes called white turquoise, the stone is not white at all and varies in color, due to a lack of heavy metals in its composition. The vein ranges from whitish grey to black. Not to be confused with "white buffalo," which is actually the white stone howlite and not turquoise at all, the only known streak of Sacred Buffalo turquoise in the entire world is that located in the Dry Creek Mine, where it is mined by the Shoshone peoples and sent to Navajo indians in Arizona and New Mexico to be made into jewelry.

And thus endeth the "lesson". :)

Jenie