December babies have as their birthstone a talisman imbued by ancient cultures with all the powers of sea and sky — potent forces whether or not you live off the land, as they did.
The word “turquoise” comes from the French pierre turquoise, meaning Turkish stone, and dates to the 13th century when Venetian merchants bought turquoise jewels in Turkish bazaars and resold to the European market.
But turquoise jewelry was a hot item long before then. The oldest comes from Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq), c. 5,000 B.C.
In the U.S., we tend to associate turquoise with Native American jewelry. The Navajo in particular are known for using locally-mined turquoise in their inlay, often paired with complementary red coral, carnelian or fire opal — a palette so integral now to Arizona and New Mexico, you can find it everywhere from regional fashion to interior design. It’s one of the pleasures of landing in the desert in mid-winter to be hit in the eyes with that vibrant combo.
Less known than Navajo jewelry but no less important is jewelry made by the Zuni people, using a similar palette and materials. The Zuni learned jewelry-making from their Navajo neighbors in the 19th century but tended to use smaller inset stones and finer silver inlay, influenced more, it seems, by Spanish and Mexican designs than the Navojos. You can find rare examples of Zuni turquoise jewelry at the Millicent Rogers Museum in Taos, New Mexico (including the necklace pictured above). I bought some beautiful Zuni silver inlay outside Zion National Park a few years ago.
Hand-fabricated 18kt gold brooch with turquoise, Mexican jelly opal and white diamonds by Hughes-BoscaBut turquoise is an ancient, global phenomenon. It was long believed to ward off every evil known to man. It shows up in the jewelry of ancient Asia, Tibet, Persia, Turkey and Eqypt. In ancient Rome, turquoise was believed to protect against falling horses — a common occurrence, I guess? Interesting, since the symbol for Sagittarius is the centaur.
In China and Tibet, turquoise was also worn to attract prosperity. While jade remained the ultimate talisman in China, Tibetans valued turquoise above all other gems.
Egyptians wore turquoise as far back as 4,000 B.C. It was among the gems found on the mummy of Tuthankhamen, which was decorated with 143 pieces of jewelry. King Tut ruled Egypt in the mid-1300s B.C. and those particular jewels were probably designed to avert evil in the afterlife and alert the gods to his power and importance.
Winged-scarab pectoral from the tomb of Tutankhamun (Egyptian Museum, Cairo)
Astor turquoise and diamond tiara by Cartier, circa 1930, sold for $1,206,737 at Bonhams London in June 2025 (Image courtesy of Bonhams)By the 20th century, turquoise was once again being incorporated into the highest levels of luxury, the finest of which are in high demand now. Take, for example, the Cartier tiara (above) made in 1930 and purchased by Lord Astor for Nancy Astor, the Viscountess Astor (1879-1964). She must have looked a bit like a blinged-out chieftess when she wore this.
The tiara stayed in the family for almost a century, passed from generation to generation, before ending up on the block last summer. It sold for a staggering $1,206,737 at Bonhams, London, in June 2025 — more than 3x its presale estimate.