Discovered in 1987, and already scarce
Paraíba tourmaline is the youngest material in the fine-stone market. The original Brazilian workings in the state of Paraíba were tiny and are essentially finished; total Brazilian output is believed to be measured in kilograms rather than tonnes, and clean Brazilian stones above two carats are now genuinely difficult to find at any price.
The colour has no precedent among gemstones, an electric blue-to-green caused by trace copper, which appears to glow from within the stone rather than reflect light off it. Mozambican and Nigerian deposits produce copper-bearing tourmaline with comparable colour and have carried the market since the early 2000s, though laboratories distinguish them clearly and the market prices Brazilian material at a substantial multiple.
Laboratories call a tourmaline Paraíba for the copper that colours it, wherever it was mined, and report the origin separately. Many stones are heated to lighten or clean the colour; Vault Trade admits untreated stones only. Found in 1987 and on the market from 1989, it has entered the fine-gem canon within a single generation.