PARAIBA and Why Women Are Crazy About It

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PARAIBA is the biggest message in gemstone fashion now.

Why Paraiba?
Color, color and color. The lucid electric blue of Paraiba Tourmaline works a magic hypnosis. This is the purest saturated tone your imagination can perceive, and it doesn’t exist in any other ocean blue gemstone. This color can only compare to the crystalline waters of virgin island lagoons, framed with a white sand beach, see-through ten meters deep where the sun reflects in a myriad of sparkles. All the sublime travel destinations are colored like Paraiba, the Paradise Gemstone.
Seychelles, Maldives, Bora-Bora, Paraiba... continue the thread of associations. Some like it green actually. We still call it Paraiba even on a greenish side, as long as the electricity is there. The penetrating neon glow of a transparent, durable, gem-quality natural stone - this is what makes Paraiba the hottest and most desirable Gem in today’s fashion.

Why now?
Paraiba is a millennial Gemstone. It was only discovered in 1987 and is just beginning its way to the pantheon of Gem gods (well, Gem Icons at least). Unlike its thousand-years’ old competitors - Spinel, Emerald, Sapphire - the rarest gemstone Paraiba didn’t have a chance to grace the historical royal treasures. It didn’t even fall into collections of Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy or other cult jewelry lovers. But it‘s already mastered in haute joaillerie of the Big Houses, hunted at the auctions, and it has a chance to grace your personal collection before the price gets unreachable. As we read in the book Gemstones: Terra Connoisseur, “Introduced to the trade at the Tucson Gem Show in 1990, initial skepticism about this spectacular stone was replaced by awe when the sales jumped from $250 a carat to $2500”. Last decade the price was $18000/ct, and in May 2018 Christie’s fetched a dazzling record of $180000/ct. Are you waiting for the escalation of price and exhaustion of mining, or are you ready to buy Paraiba Tourmaline now?

Why the name?
Originally, Paraiba is the name of the mine in Brazil where this green-blue variety of copper-bearing Elbaite Tourmaline was found. The name was exclusive for the Brazilian treasure until the beginning of 2000’s, when similar variety of neon color gemstone was discovered in Nigeria and later in Mozambique. Nowadays, the name Paraiba Tourmaline or simply Paraiba is used in gem trade for any copper-bearing Tourmaline of this electric blue/green color. Note that the presence of copper is essential in the lab report, regardless the origin. The prestigious and most coveted name Paraiba is reserved strictly for crystals with copper in their chemical composition, while it is perfectly fine to call Paraiba a Tourmaline from Mozambique. By the way, a copper-bearing Elbaite Tourmaline from the original mine from Brazil is still the most valued of all Paraiba stones. Mozambique Paraiba is better available and tends to be cleaner though. No matter the size, clarity or origin, choose your most exotic Paraiba by the color. Close your eyes, imagine a moment of heaven, think paradise... say Paraiba.