What's so special about Paraiba tourmalines?

It’s 1989. Don Johnson is the hottest thing on television. Everyone and their mother is wearing bright glowing colors and Mother Nature decides to grace us with the stone that makes every colored stone junkie’s insides vibrate: the Paraiba tourmaline.

Paraiba (pair-a-eee-ba) tourmalines come from Paraiba, Brazil. One man is credited with their discovery: Heitor Dimas Barbosa. He just KNEW there was something amazing in the hills of Paraiba and put his reputation on the line (and I believe every cent) to find them. He spent 5.5 years digging (with a crew, of course), but was too sick to witness the amazing first discovery when they finally struck gold (or in this case, neon glowing turquoise).

What makes Paraiba tourmalines so special and makes them glow is the copper inside of them. They can be found in many colors (emerald green, turquoise to sky blue, sapphire blue, indigo, bluish-violet, and purple) but the colors to end all colors is radiant blue, turquoise and green.

 

 

Large Paraibas are extremely rare and can command prices of up to 5 figures per carat. Even small Paraibas of electric colors can cost an arm and a leg (who needs two anyway, right?). There are blue/green tourmalines out there that are amazing in their own right, but that glow, like someone has a neon flashlight on a ring - that’s the stuff dreams are made of. I’ve yet to see one in person, but I imagine there will be more than one blingasam when I finally do.

Just a note: there are a lot of Paraiba imposters out there. Apatites resemble Paraibas but are extremely soft/brittle and really should only be worn as a necklace or earrings. So please don’t be fooled by eBay sales. If you truly want a Paraiba, remember to buy it from a trusted source and have it tested through a reliable lab (I like the American Gemological Lab "AGL").

Hope you enjoyed the eye candy.