Blue turquoise, carved soapstone arrowhead, lapis lazuli, puka shells, and blue coral

Turquoise has been valued for thousands of years-one of the very first gems ever mined. The oldest turquoise jewelry was dated 5500 B.C. Many cultures prized turquoise, and Cleopatra was famous for her turquoise jewelry. The Aztecs called it chalchihuitl. It is a rare gemstone, mined in only a few locations around the world-in America, almost all turquoise comes from the Southwest, and it is associated with Native American jewelry. It naturally occurs in shades of yellow, green, blue, white, and even purple. It is formed under volcanic conditions. Turquoise is the birthstone of December.

Puka shell jewelry originated in Hawaii, where the ocean created natural puka shell beads by tumbling sea snail shells around until they broke up into disks with small holes in the center-ready to be picked up and strung onto necklaces by natives.

Arrowheads are stones shaped to stick on arrow tips and used as primitive weapons. Later called "Elf Arrows", medieval people believed they were made by the devil and used by mischievious elves to shoot at cattle. Thus, people wore them on their necks as a charm against evil. Today, the iconic arrowhead is still worn, but it has taken on a different meaning-symbolizing primal instincts or representing Native American heritage.

Soapstone is a soft stone used for carving.

Mined for over 6,000 years, lapis lazuli was once called the "Stone of Heaven", and only pharoahs, priests, and royalty were allowed to wear it. Cleopatra used lapis powder as blue eyeshadow, and artists used it as blue paint until the 1820s.

The largest structure made by living creatures-including humans-in the world is the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia, which can be seen from outer space. Over 1,430 miles long, it is also the largest living thing, because it is made up of millions of coral organisms. Half plant, half animal, coral lives on the ocean floor and is actually made up of a community of organisms living together. It comes in many different shapes and colors, including pink, red, blue, black, brown, orange, and metallic gold.

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