Discovered in 1989, and already scarce
Paraíba tourmaline is the youngest material in the fine-stone market and among the fastest to re-rate. 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.
Only stones whose colour is natural rather than the result of treatment are considered true Paraíba. For a material unknown to the trade before 1989, the price trajectory has been extraordinary: the clearest recent case of a new stone entering the fine-gem canon and re-rating as supply ran out.
