Noel -
I just saw “White Buffalo Turquoise” at my favorite gem shop in
Tucson. Shawn Starr, who bought it, wasn’t there to answer my
questions, so I had just looked it up a few days ago and found this:
“White Buffalo” Turquoise
When discovered in the Dry Creek Mine, north of Austin, Nevada, in
1993,they were not sure what it was. Because of its hardness, it was
decided to send it in to be assayed and their suspicions proved
correct; it was in fact White Turquoise. It was not until 1996,
however, that it was finally made into jewelry.
The chemical name for Turquoise is Aluma Phosphate which, in its
pure chemical state, is white. Turquoise takes on color via an
intrusion of either copper or iron. In the case of Dry Creek ore, the
slight coloration, when present, is the result of copper. The more
intrusion, the darker the color.
Blue turquoise forms where there is copper present, which is the
case with most Arizona turquoises. Green turquoise forms where iron
is present, the case with most Nevada turquoises.
White Turquoise forms where there are no heavy metals present, which
turns out to be a very rare occurrence. To date, no other vein of gem
quality white turquoise has been discovered anywhere else in the
world. When this current vein runs out, that will be the last of it.
Because White Turquoise is as rare as a white buffalo, the Indians
call it “White Buffalo” Turquoise. The White Turquoise is itself
considered sacred and powerful. The jewelry-making is an honoring or
tribute to the “White Buffalo” Turquoise."
source: Yandre and Teague - an Indian jewelery gallery in Nevada
I haven’t had time to chase down more about this or verify above
statements - it’s not in my older gem books.
The thread from Orchid (above) had some similar but
also suggested it could be howlite, and also that many facts are
played “loose” with this type of newish stone. There is no doubt,
though, that the white turquoise from Nevada that I got is hard and
behaves like some turquoise when cutting (I reshaped a piece to fit a
design).
Roseann