White Buffalo is in fact NOT turquoise. Although White Buffalo is often sold as turquoise, it's classification is actually magnesite and alumite. Its unique coloring comes from the presence of Calcite mineral. The only mine known to be home to White Buffalo is The Dry Creek Mine in Tonopah, NV. It was first discovered by the Otteson family in 1993. The name derives from the Native American belief that white buffaloes are pure and rare like the white buffalo stone. The white stone is surrounded by black and brown flint-like chert which creates beautiful patterns, and sometimes in rare pieces, a spider-web matrix. The stone appears in veins, is as hard as turquoise (Mohs hardness scale of 5.5 to 7.5) and cuts and polishes like turquoise.
