Tourmaline (Copper-bearing) (''Paraíba Tourmaline'')

Item Description

I think most experts agree that Copper-bearing Tourmalines are not only rare, but the most valuable variety of Tourmalines out there. These beautiful stones are only found at three world localities (Mozambique, Nigeria and the famous Paraiba district in Brazil). It should be noted that AGTA recently has announced that any Copper-bearing Tourmalines gems can be referred to as "Paraiba Tourmaline", regardless of their origin. For a while there was a debate that only the Brazilian gems could be referred to as "Paraiba". These unique and attractive gems often have a more vibrant (sometimes electric) hue than most other Tourmalines, and they typically are not found in larger examples, so smaller stones are accepted by dealers and collectors. The new Mozambique gems have been on the market for about 15 years or so, and they truly have made as significant of an impact as any gem I can remember over the last quarter century. The Mozambique stones vary in color from blue to green to pink to blue and occasionally purple or violet. This stone has a beautiful vibrant light blue color with some VERY slight inclusions, but Tourmaline is classified as a Type-3 stone, so inclusions are almost always present, and accepted by dealers and collectors. The stone has a standard "Rectangle" cut. There are less of these on the market than there were a few years ago, so don't miss out if you've ever wanted to get your hands a nice Paraiba Tourmaline for your collection, or a piece of jewelry.