We owe the discovery of the rarest and most precious of fine gemstones to the operator of a small mine located in São José de Batalha in the mountains of the poor Brazilan state of Paraiba. After several years of digging deep into the ground, Heitor Dimas Barbosa came up with a handful of stones flaunting an unprecedented fluorescent, electric colour, known as "neon blue". The high concentration of copper and manganese in the stone's crystalline structure endows it with a range of blue-green shades of remarkable brightness and stunning intensity. Going under the name of paraiba tourmalines, these samples proved to be an attention-grabbing event when they were presented in 1990 at the prestigious Tucson Gem & Mineral Show in Arizona, USA, inevitably then arousing the interest of gemmologists the world over. In just a few days, the price per carat was multiplied by ten, attaining several thousand dollars!

This first historic deposit was depleted in just a few years. Then, at the beginning of 2000, similar specimens came to the surface in Nigeria in 2001, then in Mozambique, in 2005. Whether lighter or more pronounced, it is impossible for the naked eye to distinguish African paraiba tourmalines from those from Brazil: even under the microscope, it is a real challenge to see any difference! So even though logic might insist that the term "paraiba" should only be applied to stones from Brazilian deposits, tourmalines from mines in Nigeria and Mozambique can also be marketed under the name "paraiba tourmaline" with the approval of the LMHC (Laboratory Manual Harmonisation Committee), an entity representing the world's most highly respected gemmology laboratories. Today, however, two more Brazilian locations are still producing paraiba tourmalines, in the state of Rio Grande. They consist of the Mulungu and Alto dos Quintos mines located about 50 kilometres north-east of the original mine of Batalha.

The only rare stone more expensive than the diamond

The splendour of the paraiba tourmaline is only equalled by its rarity. It is even said that for 10,000 diamonds extracted, one can only find a single paraiba tourmaline! Due to very high demand, and depletion of the mines, the price of the paraiba tourmaline can soar to several tens of thousands of dollars per carat! Among jewellers but also investors, the most sought-after examples, and thus the most expensive, are characterized by a bright turquoise-blue colour and are found, as one would expect, in Brazil. Previously held by the 191.87 carat "Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba", the new world record for the largest cut paraiba tourmaline is held by German stonecutter Thom Munsteiner for his 196.17 carat "Apollo".

Spectacular "haute joaillerie" designs

The paraiba tourmaline casts its sparkle on the world's most exclusive jewellery creations signed Boghossian, Piaget, Gübelin, Moussaieff or Dior. The prestigious Swiss jeweller Chopard has some amazing specimens thanks to Caroline Scheufele, its Co-President and Artistic Director, who travels the world in search of the most extraordinary gems. In 2021, on the occasion of an exclusive partnership with Sotheby’s auction house, she unveiled a majestic necklace made of titanium and ethical white gold certified by Fairmined, enhanced by a sublime 34.63 carat paraiba tourmaline from Mozambique. Italian jeweller Bulgari also regularly shines the spotlight on the paraiba tourmaline in its "haute joaillerie" collections. More recently, the young designer Elsa Jin captured everyone's attention at the last edition of the Cannes Film Festival by adorning Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana with a stunning brooch set, among other gems, with a 61.29 carat paraiba tourmaline.