While I have never been much of a jewelry person, I have always been interested in gems, minerals, and rocks in general. My dad was an avid rock enthusiast and so it was hard NOT to become interested in rocks myself. One of the gems (minerals) that has always fascinated me was turquoise. You can almost always spot turquoise throughout history due to its beautiful, distinct blue-green color. Egyptian pharaohs wore it (like King Tut’s Ceremonial Mask). Native Americans wore it and designed with it, as did many other cultures across the globe.

Ok, fellow Iowans - did you know that the beautiful Iowa Capitol building in Des Moines was not the original Iowa Capitol? Despite learning Iowa history in elementary school, I had forgotten that the original capitol building was in Iowa City and served as its first seat of government for approximately ten years, from 1846 to 1857. The building would then become the University of Iowa’s first building.