You must have wondered who this is. paraiba tourmaline and because it is one of the most expensive gems in the world right? The answer, of course, lies in its rarity and beauty, mainly due to its bright and vivid color, almost neon.
The name Paraíba comes from the first location where this tourmaline was discovered. According to legend, the paraíba tourmaline was discovered by Heitor Dimas Barbosa in 1981. Heitor spent years excavating a pegmatite near the village of São José da Batalha, believing that under the hill called Paraíba there was something different. Only in 1989 did Heitor obtain the 1st batch of quality stones. The colors were extraordinary and never before seen in any other tourmaline: one of the most precious gems in the world was discovered.
But a new discovery is making Paraíbas change continents…
In the early 2000s, with the discovery of tourmalines of similar color and composition in Nigeria, and later in Mozambique in 2005, the term paraiba tourmaline was commonly used as a trade name for elbaite copper tourmalines, regardless of origin. The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and other major gemological associations have adopted the new term.
The colors of African tourmalines are spectacular and of extreme quality, but it is common for them to be heated, as well as the Brazilian. Heating makes the specimens lighter, tending to produce a more uniform color across the stones, as well as enhancing the neon tones.
The tourmalines coming from Africa can be differentiated from the Brazilian ones through laboratory analysis, where it is possible to identify the “chemical digital” of these tourmalines that have some very different traits. Chemical analyzes revealed that tourmalines from Nigeria have surprisingly high concentrations of copper (up to 2,18% CuO), very similar to those found in Brazil.
It is important to highlight a phenomenon: African tourmalines are usually much larger than Brazilian ones and can be produced in larger quantities, which could end up affecting carat prices. Here it is rare to find a paraiba tourmaline with more than 5 carats, while in Africa there are already some examples with weights above 10 carats, and the largest polished paraiba in the world is from Mozambique.
Whichever side of the fence you're on, things start to get very interesting when you look at why they were found in two different parts of the world. Comparing the shape of the coastline of South America with that of Africa, one glimpses an ancient connection between the copper mountains of Brazil – and quite possibly right next door – with the copper mountains of Mozambique and Nigeria. It's impossible to prove, of course, but that only adds to the allure of this unique and incredible stone.
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