On 2009-09-07, J. Clarke wrote:

I suspect that the name came about because Turquoise is the brand name of
drafting pencils made by Eagle Pencil Company that became Berol in 1969 and
was later taken over by Sanford.

Yep. Very common in college bookstores back in the 70-80s. Here's a
whold history on old drafting pencils and holders:

http://www.leadholder.com/index-wood.html

nb