Turquoise
"The earliest record of turquoise being used in jewelry or in ornaments is from Egypt. There turquoise has been found in royal burials over 6000 years old. About 4000 years ago, miners in Persia produced a blue variety of turquoise with a "sky blue" or "robin's egg blue" color. This material was very popular and traded through Asia and into Europe. This is the source of the term "Persian Blue" color."
Jade
"Since prehistory jade has been used to make tools, weapons and important ornamental objects in Asia, Europe, Australia, the Americas, and numerous Pacific islands. The toughness of jade made it an excellent material for making tools and weapons.
Because of its beauty, people held jade in highest esteem and used it to make religious art and ornaments for their rulers. None of these ancient cultures had contact with one another, yet they all independently used jade for many of their most sacred and important objects. Such is the appeal of jade."
Malachite
"Malachite has been used as a gemstone and sculptural material for thousands of years and is still popular today. Today it is most often cut into cabochons or beads for jewelry use."
Coral
"Coral is a colonial organism that lives in warm, shallow marine waters and often develops reefs. It is a hard calcium carbonate material that can be cut or carved and polished into beautiful gems. The coral is usually white, cream, or pink in color. Rarely it is bright red, the most desired color."
Amber
"Amber is a fossilized resin that was secreted by ancient plants. It usually has a yellowish to orangish brown color but can be white, greenish, bluish or even black. It is easily cut and polished into bright, light-weight gems."
Lapis Lazuli
"Lapis lazuli has been popular through most of recorded human history. Mining for lapis occurred in the Badakhshan Province of northeastern Afghanistan as early as 7000 BC. The lapis was used to make beads, small jewelry items and small sculptures. These have been found at neolithic archeological sites dating back to about 3000 BC in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan."
Vincent van Gogh, Vermeer, Titian and many other painters painted the robe of Mary in lapis blue - ultramarine pigments, lapis ground for these purposes.