The lovely opaque blue of turquoise is produced by traces of copper in the stone. Elements of iron will also create a pretty, pronounced green hue. Oxides contribute to the stone's famous gray, brown or black veining. Turquoise is an opaque mineral with a color range from blue to green to yellow-gray, while the stone's waxen luster only enhances its color. Turquoise was mined as far back as 6000 B.C., by the Egyptians in the Sinai, from where it was transferred through Turkey to Europe. In fact, some say that its name, Turquoise, comes from the French word meaning Turkish. Turquoise has been mined in Northern Africa, Australia, Siberia, China and Europe, but by far the best turquoise comes from Iran and Tibet. Despite the quality of those stones, it is still difficult to discover really good, untreated turquoise. There have also been superlative deposits uncovered in the American Southwest. These stones have a pronounced white or brown matrix, as opposed to the black matrix found in the Mid-East, Asia and elsewhere around the globe. The most famous turquoise jewelry in America comes from the Native American population, which as been working it for centuries. The Zunis in particular have created magnificent pieces of turquoise jewelry set in silver. Naturally, its popularity has led it to be mass-marketed, and in some cases imitated by fakes. Although turquoise is mined around the world, the most famous turquoise jewelry comes from the southwestern United States. Without question, the Navajo and Zuni silversmiths from the Four Corners region of New Mexico and Arizona produce the finest. They create myriad forms of inlaid turquoise and silver jewelry, including rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pendants, brooches, belt buckles, bola ties, watchbands, and even barrettes. Nor will you have trouble recognizing the style. It's as distinctive as it is beautiful. Turquoise and shells are meticulously cut, fitted and inlaid contiguously in handcrafted silver jewelry, then sanded and polished to perfection. Some of the more contemporary versions include channel setting. The best of Native American turquoise silver jewelry still stands as a cultural expression of a proud people with a remarkable heritage, shown through the magnificence of their craftsmanship and imagination. In addition to shell, the contemporary stylists of turquoise jewelry have also spun off tradition by combining a variety of other inlays, including lapis lazuli, purple sugilite, malachite, jet and coral. They also employ different types of shell, such as mother-of-pearl, spiny oyster, pink shell, white shell, melon shell and red abalone Many people erroneously think that the turquoise is purely a product of the ancient Mesoamerican cultures that flourished before Columbus, but it's far older than that and far more dispersed throughout the globe. Turquoise jewelry has been found interred with a 7,500 hundred-year-old Egyptian mummy. Turquoise beads from at least 5000 B.C. were traced back to Mesopotamia, the name for ancient Iraq. The Americas started mining it probably a millennium ago, and it has been uncovered in burial sites all the way from Argentina to the American Southwest. Supposedly it was a white trader who first suggested to the Navajos that they might combine turquoise with silver. Whatever the origin of the practice, it has endured to this day. The turquoise was generally believed to shield individuals from snakebite, poison, eye disease, and falls. It was thought to impart power to its owner, and to invoke rain for the crops. The turquoise was revered among the Native Americas. The Navajo claimed turquoise was a piece of sky fallen to earth, the Apache believed it aided warriors and hunters to aim more accurately, the Zuni thought it protected them from demons and the Aztecs reserved it for their gods, forbidding mere mortals to wear it. Even today, the polished beauty of a turquoise set in glowing silver evokes a mystical response from people.