Certain gemstones come with an alluring charm of their own - and the Paraiba tourmaline is definitely one of them. This precious stone is known for its rarity and striking color, both of which make it instantly stand out from the clan of commonly known gemstones out there. the Paraiba Tourmaline has a stunning neon blue color - one look at the stone, and you'll be left mesmerized at its radiating natural beauty.
Hi everyone,
I’m Sasha Kareva and on this channel I talk about GEMSTONES. Welcome!
For beginning is a fascinating story behind the rare and exquisitely beautiful Paraiba Tourmaline. In the 1980's gemstone prospector and miner Heitor Dimas Barbosa had an mountain-moving conviction that something very special was hidden in the mountains of Paraiba, a state in the Northeast of Brazil, after a sighting in 1982. He began to dig with a small crew of men, with just a vision of what he was looking for. 5 years after Barbosa's painstakingly slow exuviation he and his men stumbled across the first signs of a truly magnificent gemstone. Can you imagine Barbosa's thoughts and feelings as he held the discovery of Paraiba Tourmaline in his hand. The year was 1989.
Before we delve into what the Paraiba tourmaline gemstone is, let's understand the family to which it belongs. The Paraiba tourmaline belongs to the Tourmaline family, a crystalline silicate mineral group of precious stones.
Boron is the basic element in every tourmaline stone, which then compounds itself naturally with other elements such as iron, copper, magnesium, sodium, aluminum, lithium. As I told in my previous video Tourmaline buying guide, the color of every tourmaline stone varies depending on which element it compounds with. This also explains why tourmaline gemstones are available in a wide range of bright, vibrant colors.
Coming to the Paraiba Tourmaline stone - this precious stone is the result of a combination between boron and copper. The high concentration of copper is responsible for the highly coveted radiant blue and green hues in the Paraiba stone. Depending on the copper content in the precious stone, the resultant color of the gemstone may also be blue-green. Needless to say, the vivid, unique blue of the Paraiba tourmaline instantly sets it apart from the rest of the members in not only the tourmaline family but among a host of other gemstones as well.
How rare are Brazilian Paraiba tourmalines?
To put their rarity into perspective, there is only one Paraiba tourmaline mined for every 10,000 diamonds.
By the way, next video will be about the diamonds and I am sure, that you will surprised to know the truth about this gem. Do make sure to subscribe to watch more videos like this in future!
Owing to the rarity of these precious stones, they are super expensive. Of course, you may get any other type of tourmaline at a lesser price, but the Paraiba tourmaline price is an indication of its extreme rarity.
Each of these are priceless, but the most sought after by gemstone enthusiasts are the blue ones from Brazil. This is because they have a higher color saturation, feature attractive hues, and, most importantly, are super rare. The price of the Paraiba tourmaline is not influenced by its size. Rather it depends on the origin, brightness, vividly, and inclination of the stone towards the blue shade.
The rarity of the stone is another factor that influences its price. High-quality tourmalines free from inclusions are super rare and come at a very high price. The Paraiba tourmalines with inclusions cost relatively less, as the inclusions are visible in the form of thread-like tubes running through the gemstone. The rarity of Paraiba tourmaline is also attri/buted to the difficulty in mining it. The usage of dynamite can damage these delicate crystals, which is why most Paraiba deposits are sought after manually with the help of hand-held tools.
In a surprising twist in the Paraiba tale, in 2003, a new wave of luminous green-blue tourmalines entered the market, mined by hand in the copper-rich mountains of Mozambique and Nigeria. Paraiba-like in every way, with only minute chemical differences to those unearthed in Brazil, they are often found weighing five carats or more and have caused an ongoing debate as to what can and can't by definition be called a "Paraiba" tourmaline. Some insist that only tourmalines from the Brazilian state of Paraiba are Paraibas.
When buying Paraiba Tourmaline it is important that documentation accompanies the gemstone. This is because Tourmaline can come in blue and green shades but if the copper and manganese elements are not present in the gemstone then the tourmaline cannot be classed as Paraiba. Ensure the gemstone you are purchasing comes with a comprehensive laboratory report from a reputable gem lab stating that it is 'Paraiba Tourmaline'. Please note that your gem labs has the equipment needed to test and verify Paraiba Tourmaline. The specific piece of equipment used for testing Paraiba costs extremely expensive, so many laboratory's are unable to conclusively verify that the gemstone being tested is Paraiba Tourmaline. For some gems doesn't matter how big and famous is the lab. But for Paraiba I recommend to use only lab with long history and dont save 100-300$ for their certificate. I talked a lot about the labs in the one of my videos.
One more thing about certification. Paraiba is a trade name, not many laboratories use it. They can describe the color like blue (electric blue, neon blue, violet blue), bluish green to greenish blue, green (or yellowish green) tourmaline. That’s why important to make a spectrogram, where the lab can check, that the gem contains high quantity of Copper. That thing proof that your gem is not just blue or green tourmaline.
So, let move to numbers.
Paraiba's prices depends on the gem’s color saturation, clarity, and origin. The finest Brazilian Paraiba can fetch up to 100K per carat. On the other hand, African translucent cabs or pale-blue faceted gems are often sold around 1000$-1500$ a carat. That’s a very huge range, maximum and minimum.
The geographical origin here is the main pricing factor. The gems are supplied from Mozambique and have a lower cost relative to Brazilian. High-quality Brazilian tourmaline can have a much smaller mass than Mozambique but have several times more the price for 1 carat. The purest and high-quality Paraiba blue color is $20000-$30000 per carat. The cost of the Paraiba from Mozambique, depending on the purity and color saturation, is in the range of $1500-9000 per carat.In recent years the price of Paraiba tourmalines on the market has been growing rapidly, sometimes 20-30% a year.
One of the most expensive Brazilian Paraiba was sold at $1,197,000 at Sotheby’s New York in June 2022. It was a 10.31-carat gem.
One month before this deal – 3.81 carats oval Brazilian Paraiba tourmaline to be sold for approximately $300,000 at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels live auction.
So, how I hunt for Paraiba?
First of all I judged the color. According my opinion it is the most important factor and reason why so many people desire this gem.
Color, and not the size of the gem, is the price determining factor of the precious stone.
In case, if we are speaking about the most affordable Paraiba gems, clarity is not so important for this stone and less affect the price
Paraiba tourmalines are created under unusual natural conditions, and the environment they grow in is rich in liquids. During the process of formation of tourmalines, some of these liquid elements are trapped in the precious stone in the form of 'inclusions'. Paraíba tourmalines are a Type III gem, which means they usually contain eye-visible inclusions.
The inclusions in Paraiba tourmalines are more visible in the stones with low saturation and a lighter tone.
Paraiba tourmalines are rarely found in sizes over 2 carats. Of course, there are Paraiba Tourmalines more than 5, 10 and even 50 carats, you can count the total price, I gave the numbers before.
Beyond the stones in stock, me and my team is delighted to offer a custom order service. Considering your preferences and budget, we will select the best Paraiba tourmaline for you.
Last important fact about beautiful Paraiba are. Enhancements
Most Paraiba tourmalines undergo refinement by heat treatment to achieve a better color. The natural coloring of Mozambican specimens usually has purple, pinkish, green, and yellowish-green hues. After the thermal treatment, the primary colors disappear, and the rough material acquire a neon-blue coloring. Brazilian Paraiba specimens initially have a sky-blue color. Heat treatment eliminates purple tints and improves the blue color saturation. It is important to note that heat treatment of the Paraiba tourmaline crystals is a common practice, and due to the incredible rarity of this gemstone, heat treatment of the top specimens practically does not affect the price.
Paraiba with lots of inclusions and cracks use different polymers to fill the cracks, thus improving the stone's clarity. Usually, it works mostly for cabochons, but anyway, don't forget to check carefully the gemological report.
Please, stay away from synthetic materials with neon colors may act as simulants for paraíba tourmaline. Not everything what sellers call paraiba is paraiba tourmaline. It can be apatite, cubic zirconia, synthetic beryl, and glass with similar color.
I hope you enjoyed the diving into Paraiba Tourmaline and your dream about this gem has become closer.