Paraiba, the rarest and priciest variety of tourmaline, captured the world’s attention with its striking neon blue hue that seems to glow even under dim lighting. With the original mines in Paraiba of Brazil long since exhausted, the price per carat of this gemstone is comparable to that of Pigeon’s Blood red rubies from Myanmar.
Tourmaline is the only gemstone and mineral that keeps a permanent electrical charge. The gem is believed to bring positive energy to the wearer because of its ability to generate an electrical current by simply absorbing sunlight.
Traders introduced tourmalines from Sri Lanka in the early 18th century. Tourmaline's name comes from the Sri Lankan word “tura mali”, which translates as the stone of mixed colours. It is also the birthstone for October. Tourmalines are strongly dichroic - displaying different colours when exposed to light from different angles. Commonly found in shades of black, green, blue, red, yellow and watermelon (green outer and pink centre), the Paraiba in vivid neon blue is the most coveted variety.
Standard colour: Neon blue
Paraiba took its name from the Brazilian state, where it was first unearthed in the 1980s. At the time, the gemstone was one of the most precious stones discovered in almost half a century and thrilled collectors with its striking neon blue hues that seemed to glow even in dim lighting conditions. However, as the original mines in Paraiba have long been exhausted, Paraiba became exceptionally rare and one of the world’s most expensive gems, comparable to unheated pigeons’ blood-red rubies from Myanmar.
Due to its unique crystal structure, most Paraiba exhibits fine cracks or liquid inclusions. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous dealers have tried to pass off aquamarines with high clarity as Paraiba. Therefore, consumers should be wary if offered clear or unheated Paraiba to avoid deception.
When evaluating Paraiba, consider the saturation of the gemstone’s neon colours - greenish blue and bluish green being the most valuable. Due to exceptional rarity, Paraiba above 2 carats is worth collecting.
Mohs hardness: 7
Origins: Brazil, Nigeria and Mozambique.
