We've never had Paraiba Tourmaline to offer before. It's one of those new, rare gemstones. Its rarity makes it unbelievably expensive. We have one piece, a gorgeous 10 inch tall, four sided-flame. Natural blue Paraiba Tourmaline encased in a violet-hued gray stone matrix.
Since it was discovered in 1989, Paraiba Tourmaline has been in demand by collectors and jewelers all over the world. Paraiba Tourmaline was discovered by Heitor Dimas Barbosa, a very determined gem and mineral miner. He excavated the hills of Paraiba, a state in Brazil. He had a strong instinct that he would find a rare gem in those hills. Five years of digging paid off. He must have been ecstatic when he first laid eyes upon such a bright blue, neon really, tourmaline.
Soon after the Brazilian discovery, Paraiba Tourmaline was found in Mozambique. In 2003, 14 years after the initial finding by Barbosa, Moussa Konate, a gem wholesaler, accidentally shipped the new African Paraiba Tourmalines from Mozambique to the U.S. Orders poured in from America. This wholesaler wanted to find more and purchased a claim for 300 acres of land around the original mine where he first found Paraiba Tourmaline.
Meanwhile, two years earlier in 2001, more Paraiba Tourmalines were discovered in Oyo, Nigeria. These were ready for distribution in 2005. The Paraiba Tourmaline from Nigeria and Mozambique was the same as the Paraiba Tourmaline from Brazil. A spectrometry test can discern the fine differences.
Tourmaline meaning and Tourmaline properties:
What makes Paraiba tourmaline so rare?
Brazil is abundant in tourmaline of every color. Paraiba is unique in that it contains traces of copper, the element that makes this tourmaline such a brilliant blue. Paraiba Tourmaline is also called cuprian elbaite. The color of Paraiba Tourmaline can range from bright aqua to an intense deep aqua. The color is so neon-like that it seems to glow.
Weighs 2 pounds, 12.5 ounces. 10 inches tall by 3 inches by 2.5 inches. The point at the top is very sharp.