Turquoise
Turquoise is a sky-blue or green translucent to opaque gemstone. It forms in “grape-like” nodules in cracks and crevices. The gemstone color is greatly influenced by surrounding metals such as Iron, Copper, and Aluminum. Turquoise has a Mohs hardness of 5 to 6.
The name "turquoise" comes from the French word "turqueise", meaning "Turkish stone", because it was first transported to Europe from Turkish nations. Historically, Turquoise has been used by many ancient civilizations including the: Chinese, Mesoamericans, Native Americans, Persians, and Egyptians. Turquoise is now found in Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Tanzania and the USA.