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.