Paraiba tourmaline is one of the most expensive gemstones on the planet. Due to its particular characteristics, its incandescent blue, the gem exerts fascination all over the world, being used in jewelry made by national and international brands.
Tourmalines are a common ore found in various localities. However, authentic Paraíba tourmaline has traces of copper, manganese and gold in unique percentages, which provides a fluorescence effect that is not found in any other gem. Although there are tourmalines in other regions of Brazil and the world, only tourmalines from the district of São José da Batalha (PB) manage to reach copper contents above 2%. In Rio Grande do Norte and Africa, where tourmalines are also exploited, copper levels do not reach 0.80%.
Price
The main values are for blue / green colors with strong saturation and medium tone. The tone varies from light to dark, with higher values in the middle tones. Pure blues are worth about half as much as blues/greens, as are other shades of green.
Color is more important than transparency. Inclusions visible to the naked eye are allowed and bring small differences in value, while medium inclusions and transparency reduce value considerably. More than that: cutting is fundamental, as it is through the process that the gems acquire their maximum shine and are most valued in the market.
When grading Paraiba tourmalines, you need to be very critical of color and luster, not that this is any different in other gemstones. To achieve the best values, the gems must be of exceptionally fine quality, as small differences in quality make a big difference in value.
jewelry store information
In 1988, exceptionally bright and colorful tourmalines were discovered in the state of Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil. It was determined that they were elbaite tourmalines and their intense coloration was due to copper. Also present, but in smaller quantities, traces of manganese and bismuth were found. These stones generated a great frenzy and prices per carat soon surpassed US$20 (currently, it is estimated that a carat of the stone costs an average of US$30 and can cost up to US$100, depending on the characteristics of the gem).
Soon after the original discovery, similar tourmalines, which were also described as paraiba tourmaline, were found further north, more specifically in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.
In 2001, more copper colored tourmalines were discovered in Nigeria. Although not as vivid as the Brazilian ones, its variety of colors stood out. With the proper equipment, which the Brazilian lacks, the Nigerian specimen stands out for lead as its main component.
A few years later, this time in Mozambique, more copper tourmalines were found. Its colors were very close to the Brazilian ones, but its chemical composition, much more complex, had varying amounts of copper, magnesium, lead and bismuth. A large amount of these tourmalines do not contain any trace of lead and have compositions that overlap with the Brazilian ones.
What is a true paraiba tourmaline?
From the beginning, the market labeled paraíba tourmaline and even those from Rio Grande do Norte were called paraíba. Naming the Nigerian gems was a bit of a problem. Many would have liked to have called them “paraiba tourmaline”, or “copper paraiba tourmaline”, but unfortunately, much of the Nigerian material was mixed with the Brazilian and the differences were confused. Then we had the addition of Mozambique stones, which were commonly called “Mozambique paraiba tourmaline”.
The chemical differences between the sources are so small that it is often impossible to determine their origin. Visually, the best samples from Nigeria or Mozambique have colors as vivid as the Brazilian ones.
In 1999, before the Nigerian discovery, the World Jewelery Confederation (CIBJO) modified its rules, allowing “paraíba” as a valid trade name. Traditionally, minerals are named after the place where they were discovered, so naming all copper elbaite tourmalines paraiba was easily accepted.
In February 2006, the term “paraíba tourmaline” was adapted as a tourmaline variety name, regardless of geographic origin. As a result, most international gemological laboratories are calling all copper-containing elbaite “paraiba tourmaline”.
Identifying paraiba tourmaline
By definition, Paraíba is an elbaite tourmaline whose color is determined by the presence of copper. Its color varies mainly from green to blue, although in Madagascar it is possible to find purple and pink specimens. The main criterion is the saturation level, which is 4 for moderately strong and 5 for strong (the only tourmaline with this saturation level is chromium tourmaline). Shades tend to range from light to medium dark.
Want to know a little more about this gem? Check it out at Meet the paraiba tourmaline: the most beautiful blue in the world!
This text is a translation of the original Paraíba tourmaline: value, price and jewelry information.
A comment
Tourmaline couple both the blue and the colored ones are very beautiful! Even those of lesser value also leave any special jewel.