Paraíba Tourmaline

	Heitor Dimas Barbosa, the discoverer of Paraíba Tourmaline

Whether you give Tourmaline the distinction of coming in more hues than any other gemstone or attribute this to Diamonds or Fluorite, one thing's for certain, Tourmaline definitely puts the 'C' back in colour. Name a hue and in all likelihood you'll find it in Tourmaline, sometimes within the same gemstone! Even pure 'amethyst' purples have appeared since the discovery of Mozambique Paraíba deposits (click here). Tourmaline's different colours are either identified by a colour prefix, such as blue-green, green and pink, or a variety name or prefix. These include Bi Colour Tourmaline (two or more colours, click here for more), Canary Tourmaline (intense yellow from the African nations of Malawi and Zambia), Cat's Eye Tourmaline (chatoyant Tourmaline, click here for more), Colour Change Tourmaline (green to red), Cuprian Tourmaline (non-Paraíba hues, but still coloured by copper and manganese), Indicolite (blue), Paraíba Tourmaline (blue to green, coloured by copper and manganese), Rubellite (red, click here for more), and Watermelon Tourmaline (pink inner green outer, just like the fruit). Another prized, but exceedingly rare variety is Chrome Tourmaline, a vivid pure green East African Dravite coloured by chromium and vanadium, the same elements that make Emerald and Tsavorite. Last is Schorl (Black Tourmaline), a variety that is naturally abundant and once popular in mourning jewellery, yet now commercially scarce because it is rarely faceted. Nevertheless, interest in both Black Tourmaline and Black Spinel has increased due to the popularity of Black Diamonds. Due to its double refractivity, Tourmaline is strongly pleochroic (click here for more) or getting more technical, Tourmaline is the most dichroic of all gemstones.

This means that each Tourmaline crystal has two colours (dark and light), whose intensity changes when viewed from different angles. This is covered in more detail shortly. While some gemstones look better in natural daylight and others in artificial (incandescent) light, a gemstone's colours should ideally remain beautiful in any light source. Despite this, all Tourmalines are 'day gems', meaning they typically look their very best in natural light. The yellow glare of artificial lights will sometimes accentuate grey and brown tones which may otherwise be invisible. As always, be guided by common sense and your preferences, paying heed to the inherent characteristics of each type.

Any historical contempt for Tourmaline's look-alike abilities evaporated overnight when Paraíba Tourmaline hit the world market. The beginning of this gem begins with one man, Heitor Dimas Barbosa, the discoverer of Paraíba Tourmaline. In the early eighties, he was a 'garimpeiro' (small-scale miner) who became infatuated by the beautiful brilliance of blue Tourmaline crystal collected by a friend. Heitor was no quitter and around 1987 he hit pay dirt in mines near the village of São José da Batalha in Paraíba, Brazil. Named for the location of its discovery, by 1989 Paraíba Tourmaline was shifting perceptions and paradigms, making any respectable gem dealer go weak at the knees. In his book, 'Gemstones: Quality and Value, Volume 1', Yasukazu Suwa nicely sums this up stating, "The appeal of Paraíba Tourmaline far exceeds that of other gems, to the point where they are desired even by people who are accustomed to seeing a variety of gemstones". The main reason for this is its vivid colours, characterised by a sizzling, electric, neon or fluorescent appearance as well as a distinctive transparency that affords Paraíba Tourmaline's fine brilliance. In a way, colour in Paraíba Tourmaline is perhaps a dichotomy, in that its typically medium toned, sometimes almost pastel hues, still have intensity. This is unusual and a big reason for its appeal. Clarity and size play second fiddle in Paraíba Tourmaline; colour is the beauty gauge. Variously described as Caribbean blue, peacock, copper-green, neon-aquamarine, swimming pool blue or turquoise blue, from a gemmological perspective, the colours range from bluish-green, blue-green, greenish-blue, blue and bluish-violet. As these finite colours, along with its composition, now define this gemstone, I've included a handy colour chart to show you the accepted range. While its vivid blues are the most popular and expensive, all its colours are unique, with gems displaying a greater neon intensity increasing in value. Like Emerald, Paraíba Tourmaline often has visible inclusions, although this varies somewhat depending on origin, with Mozambique Paraíba Tourmaline typically far cleaner (and larger) than those from Brazil. While Paraíba Tourmaline is not always eye-clean, this is tolerable as long as it doesn't nullify beauty. Paraíba Tourmaline's transparency is sometimes a double-edged sword, in that its shows inclusions that wouldn't be visible in other gems. Large eye-clean (no visible inclusions when the gem is examined six inches from the naked eye) electric blue specimens, like the 8.7 carat gem pictured at the beginning of this section, are rare and priced accordingly. Once you've settled on a Paraíba Tourmaline colour and clarity that fits your taste and budget, look for a good shape and overall appearance. Available in a variety of shapes and cuts since the discovery of the Mozambique deposits, Paraíba Tourmaline are most commonly seen in ovals and pears.

While Paraíba Tourmaline is hugely popular, it's currently difficult to purchase any rough on the open market; anyone who has it appears to be sitting on it. As with anything scarce, beautiful and in demand, its prices reflect its popularity. With mechanised mining now happening in the Mozambique Paraíba Tourmaline deposit and further exploration of the surrounding area, it's likely Africa not Brazil will secure the future of this uniquely beautiful gem.

Paraíba Tourmaline Colours

Apatite
Apatite is not a Tourmaline, but since the discovery of saturated neon 'Paraíba' blues in Madagascar near Fort Dauphin in 1995, Apatite has garnered increased recognition. This is the popularity power of Paraíba Tourmaline. Not only has it secured its own superstar status in the gem world, but it has also propelled interest in other Tourmalines as well as similar vividly coloured gemstones. Apatite's name comes from the Greek 'apatao', which means 'to deceive' and looking at this example, it is certainly apt; superficially, it's a pretty convincing Paraíba Tourmaline substitute. Also available in 'emerald' greens, Apatite is rare over 1 carat.

Blue Green Tourmaline
Too green to be Indicolite and too blue to be Green Tourmaline, this spectacular gem from the Democratic Republic of the Congo clearly shows the effects of Tourmaline's signature diochrosim, a type of pleochroism showing two colours (click here for more). Depending on how they are cut, lighter toned specimens like this gem sometimes display the primary and secondary dichroic blues and greens sparkling on neighbouring facets, creating an attractive mosaic effect. In this book, I have separated the bluish-green 'peacock' hues of these Tourmalines from Green Tourmaline and Indicolite for ease of comprehension.

Indicolite
Visually distinct from Paraíba Tourmaline, Indicolite (also spelt Indigolite or indigolith) is derived from the Latin 'indicum' (a blue dye obtained from various plants) and from the Greek 'lithos' (stone) for its indigo hues. Due to its geological rarity, after Paraíba Tourmaline and Chrome Tourmaline, fine pure blue Indicolite is more valuable than Rubellite, Bi Colour Tourmaline, Pink Tourmaline and Green Tourmaline. The propensity of pleochroism (dichroism) to darken Indicolite so it loses transparency, brilliance and beauty can sometimes make it a difficult gemstone for lapidaries. All Tourmaline can be challenging to cut, but in Indicolite, the table of the gem has to be orientated to not only achieve the best possible weight and clarity, but also to minimise the impact of its darker colour. Similar to Green Tourmaline, Indicolite is usually eye-clean. In his book, 'Secrets of the Gem Trade', Richard Wise compares the search for a Sapphire Blue Tourmaline to that of the Holy Grail and in my experience, he's right on the money. In my years in the gem industry, the Indicolite pictured here comes closest to looking visually similar to a Blue Sapphire. I debated on whether to include this photograph as it's definitely the exception rather than the rule. Most fine Indicolite I have seen is much darker, but with distinct neon flashes. Whilst the historic source of Sapphire Blue Indicolite is Brazil, this gem hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In my opinion, blue characterises this variety and specimens with visible greens should not be called Indicolite.