Paraiba Tourmaline

   

One man’s quest to locate something that no other person had ever seen led to the discovery of paraiba tourmaline. With its refreshing color, paraiba tourmaline has quickly become a favorite. As a result of its scarcity and popularity, paraiba tourmaline has become one of the most expensive gem stones just as quickly.

 

Discovered in 1989, paraiba tourmaline is the most recently discovered variety of the tourmaline gem stone family. A man named H. Dimas Barbosa led the search for any unique thing of value. He didn’t know exactly what he would find, but curiosity caused him to search deep inside a hill near Paraiba, Brazil. The search took over five years, but it finally yielded something unique and spectacular—paraiba tourmaline.

                                    Incredible Paraiba...Click Here to See

Tourmaline gem stones are divided into three species: dravite, schorl, and elbaite. The paraiba tourmaline gem stone is an elbaite and can also be referred to as an indicolite stone due to its blue color. In addition to the radiant blue, some of the paraiba tourmaline has a greenish color. The captivating, glowing colors of the paraiba tourmaline gemstone are derived from the copper that it contains. Copper usually does not exist in tourmaline, which makes this truly a rare gem stone.

The mining of the tourmaline in Paraiba, Brazil went on for an additional five years from the date of its initial discovery, which caused the supply of that mining site to completely disappear. It’s unlikely that any more paraiba tourmaline of such quality will be found. Similar blue/green tourmaline stones have been found in Africa, but those gem stones do not have the radiant color of the paraiba tourmaline that was found in Brazil.

 

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Considering that its color is uniquely captivating due to its copper content, and the fact that it is completely mined out of its only known location, many people are seeking paraiba tourmaline for investment purposes. It is one of the most expensive gemstones in existence. Usually paraiba tourmaline gem stones are small, and some have been priced at over $5,000 per carat. Extremely rare, larger, finer pieces have been priced anywhere from $15,000 to $40,000 per carat. Due to its scarcity, it is not available in all jewelry stores. However, it’s a durable stone, which does make it great for jewelry. When caring for your paraiba tourmaline, avoid ultrasonic or steam cleaning.

It has been said that blue paraiba tourmaline enhances one’s patience, perceptiveness, and their desirability to help other people.

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