To the Navajo tribes of the American Southwest, turquoise
has been an important symbol for thousands of years. Turquoise stones symbolize
happiness, health, and luck. Turquoise also symbolizes a connection to the
natural world because it can be found in shades of blue, green, black, and
white – all colors found prominently in nature.
In addition to the symbolism, turquoise jewelry has also
been important to the Navajo people as a status symbol. Wealth and social power
is indicated by the size of individual jewelry pieces, the number of stones
worked into them, and the amount of jewelry an individual wears.