Art Spectrum Turquoise is a beautiful cool blue, reminiscent of the shallow waters of a tropical paradise. For thousands of years, cultures around the world have prized turquoise for its unique and beautiful colour. Its name, which goes back to the 16th century, is Old French for “Turkish”, mainly because Turkey was an import source of the stone after being mined in Persia. Today, the pigment is produced from a light green oxide.