From the ancient American west to ancient Egypt, turquoise has been, for countless centuries, a stone of the wealthy and royal, and now is a popular stone loved by everyone today. Princess Margaret, late sister of England's reigning monarch Elizabeth II, had a set of magnificent Persian turquoise pieces. And it goes without saying that it has been discovered many times in tombs of the pharoahs and their wives.

The name "turquoise" is the most recent, most common name of the brilliant blue gemstones because the stones came to Europe from Turkey, but in an area that was originally part of Persia.

American turquoise ranges from almost totally blue to heavily veined. However, Persian turquoise is very different. The shadings of blue are distinctly different, and the stones often have pyrite inclusions that make very interesting patterns.