Minerals - Howlite - Italian Hand

"Howlite (Calcium Borosilicate Hydroxide) was first discovered in Nova Scotia by Canadian geologist Henry How. A white to pale gray mineral with dark gray veining, howlite is used principally in jewelry and as an ornamental stone. Howlite carves nicely, takes polishing well, and is porous so is easily dyed. Consequently, howlite with its veining, is often used to counterfit other more expensive stones, such as lapis lazuli, coral, and especially turquoise. It has been estimated that as much as 90% of turquoise sold is actually blue-dyed howlite. So if you're fond of turquoise and want the real thing, buyer beware!

In my Mineral Script Series I render the calligraphy in various forms of classic English Italian Hand: old-style (early 1700s), late-style (later 1700s), and occassionally showing the strong French influences (late-1600s style), as the English adopted the hand from the French… This style of Italian Hand is new to the Series, the little known American style (early-1800s). This is a pre-Spencerian style. By the late-1800s, while some of Italian Hand's majuscule shapes were emulated by Spencerian penmen, their Italian Hand, for the most part, was not really Italian Hand, but merely Spencerian done with French shading… American style Italian Hand was often bolder, rounder, and a little more casual than the earlier English style. Also it tended to place the shades of the minuscules in the lower 2/3rds of the x-height. As the 17th century progressed the turns became more semi-angular. Just as with other American styles of the early-1800s, the flourishing became less complex with a shift toward stronger Dutch tendencies"

~2016, Don Marsh~
©2016 Don Marsh