Turquoise has been widely used in Native American jewelry, inlays, and carvings. Much of the mass-market material has been permeated with resin and other substances to seal porous material and to improve color. Very fine, untreated material is fairly scarce.

Turquoise is an ancient gemstone, and has been highly regarded in many of the world's civilizations. Among the ancient empires it is best known among the Persian and Native American civilizations, where it was the most popular ornamental gemstone. Turquoise today remains a popular gemstone, and is one of the most important opaque gemstones. It is highly regarded due to its unique turquoise-blue color, and is the only gemstone to have an exclusive color named after it.