| It is a rare event when a new gem variety | | | | in early 1990. It caused an immediate sensation. |
| causes tremendous excitement in the gemstone | | | | Top specimens sold for as much as $3,000 a |
| world. It happened with tanzanite in the 1960's, | | | | carat. At the time that price seemed ridiculously |
| but only with the marketing muscle of Tiffany | | | | high for a tourmaline; today, ironically, it seems |
| & Co. behind it. The case of paraiba | | | | ridiculously low. |
| tourmaline in the 1990's was a different story. | | | | The market demand for the paraiba tourmaline |
| The unusual blue-green paraiba tourmaline was | | | | was so strong, and the supply so limited, that it |
| first discovered in the Brazilian state of Paraiba in | | | | became nearly impossible for gem dealers to buy |
| 1989 by a dedicated miner named Heitor Barbosa. | | | | stock. However, in 2001 some similar |
| Barbosa worked the Mina da Bathalha for over 5 | | | | copper-bearing blue-green tourmaline was |
| years before he found the first samples of this | | | | discovered in Nigeria, though the color saturation |
| extremely rare gemstone. | | | | was not as good as the Brazilian material. |
| These gems had an unusual vivid blue-green that | | | | Then in 2005 a third find was made, this time in |
| had never been seen before in any gemstone. | | | | Mozambique. The Mozambique material is found in |
| They appeared to glow with a neon or electric-like | | | | a range of colors, from green to blue-green to |
| quality, even in the rough stone. Analysis showed | | | | violet, with color more similar to the Brazilian |
| that this unique effect was due to the presence | | | | paraiba. In fact the Mozambique paraiba is often |
| of copper and manganese. | | | | cleaner than the Brazilian (which tends to be |
| The paraiba tourmaline was first introduced to the | | | | heavily included) and is found in larger sizes. |
| gemstone world at the annual Tucson gem show | | | | |