Turquoise has historically been mined as far back as 6000 BC in Egypt. The French mistakenly gave it the name "Pierre Turquois" meaning "Turkish Stone" because Western Europeans thought it had come from Turkey; it was actually imported from Persia (now Iran) where the Persians had been mining it since 5000 BC. Turquoise is usually a rich green or blue colour, and often has spider's web-like veins running through it which are actually deposits of brown limonite or black mangalese oxide. This stone has always been much treasured and highly sought after; one of the oldest piece of jewellery in the world is a turquoise and gold bracelet found on the wrist of the ancient Egyptian Queen Zer when her tomb was unearthed in 1900

Turquoise was among the first gems to be mined, and while many historic sites have been depleted, some are still worked to this day.  It was mined in Persia around 3000 years ago, Persian style and use of turquoise was later brought to India following the establishment of the Mughal Empire there, its influence seen in high purity gold jewellery and in such buildings as the Taj Mahal. Persian turquoise was often engraved with devotional words in Arabic script which was then inlaid with gold. 

Its use by the Egyptians is even earlier, at least 3000bc and was mined by them in the Sinai Peninsula, called "Country of Turquoise" by the native Monitu. The turquoise is found in sandstone that is, or was originally, overlain by basalt. The colour of Sinai material is typically greener than Iranian material, but is thought to be stable and fairly durable. Often referred to as Egyptian turquoise, Sinai material is typically the most translucent, and under magnification its surface structure is revealed to be peppered with dark blue discs not seen in material from other localities. The Egyptian use of turquoise stretches back as far as the First Dynasty and possibly earlier; however, probably the most well-known pieces incorporating the gem are those recovered from Tutankhamun's tomb, most notably the Pharaoh's iconic burial mask which was liberally inlaid with the stone. It also adorned rings and great sweeping necklaces called pectorals. Set in gold, the gem was fashioned into beads, used as inlay, and often carved in a scarab motif, accompanied by carnelian, lapis lazuli, and in later pieces, coloured glass. Turquoise, associated with the goddess Hathor, was so liked by the Ancient Egyptians that it became (arguably) the first gemstone to be imitated, the fair structure created by an artificial glazed ceramic product known as faience. (A similar blue ceramic has been recovered from Bronze Age burial sites in the British Isles.)

The Aztecs inlaid turquoise, together with gold, quartz, malachite, jet, jade, coral, and shells, into provocative (and presumably ceremonial) mosaic objects such as masks (some with a human skull as their base), knives, and

In many cultures of the Old and New Worlds, this gemstone has been esteemed for thousands of years as a holy stone, a bringer of good fortune or a talisman. It really does have the right to be called a 'gemstone of the peoples'. The oldest evidence for this claim was found in Ancient Egypt, where grave furnishings with turquoise inlay were discovered, dating from approximately 3000 BC. In the ancient Persian Empire, the sky-blue gemstones were earlier worn round the neck or wrist as protection against unnatural death. If they changed colour, the wearer was thought to have reason to fear the approach of doom. Meanwhile, it has been discovered that the turquoise certainly can change colour, but that this is not necessarily a sign of impending danger