For at least 2,000 years, the region once known as Persia has remained the most important source of turquoise, for it is here that fine material is most consistently recovered. This "perfect color" is blue naturally, and turns green when heated due to dehydration. Iranian turquoise has been mined and traded abroad for centuries, and was probably the source of the first material to reach Europe.

Since at least 3000 BC, and possibly before then, turquoise was used by the Egyptians and was mined by them in the Sinai Peninsula. The color of Sinai material is typically greener than Iranian material, but is thought to be stable and fairly durable. Often referred to as Egyptian turquoise, Sinai material is typically the most translucent, and under magnification its surface structure is revealed to be peppered with dark blue discs not seen in material from other localities.

China has been a source of turquoise for 3,000 years or more. Other notable localities include: Afghanistan, Australia, Chile and Turkestan.