It is in the 1980s that the Paraiba Tourmaline stones became quite famous because of its neon blue hues. Because of this thing, now it has made its mark in the gemstone market. People no more consider it as imitation gems or called as collector’s items. The price of this particular gemstone was shooting high from the time people discovered it.
Since it is one of the rare stones and the efforts to mine this stone is laborious, there are decidedly fewer stones that are available. But, the demand is increasing day by day while the supply is way too low. Many gemstone experts consider the Paraiba Tourmaline Rough as the unique tourmaline in the world as a result of this thing.
It is necessary for you to understand certain aspects if you want to purchase this gemstone with ease.
- Know This Gemstone
- Color the First
- Clarity is Next
- Cut Makes a Difference
- Carats Determine the Costs
1Know This Gemstone
It is one variety of elbaite tourmaline that contains copper. It gets its name from Paraiba which is a state in Brazil. Later, they were able to find these stones in other places like Nigeria and Mozambique. It has caused quite a stir because of its name as a result of this discovery. The gemstone dealers call stones that come from Africa as ‘Paraiba like’ and sometimes refer them as cuprian tourmalines.
Some gemological laboratories deem that the name Paraiba refers to copper content and not the location as people presume it. You need to know the four Cs when you plan on purchasing this particular gemstone.
2Color the First
You need to note that the Paraiba tourmalines are copper-bearing gemstones. As a result of it, the copper content in this particular stone imparts a peculiar neon blue hues that is appealing. It is the main reason why people get attracted to this gemstone.
They usually are medium when it comes to the color tone and are highly saturated. It is, for this reason, gemstone experts consider it as one of the most valuable tourmalines. Besides blue, you can also find it in green hues. You are lucky if you can find violet as well as purple Paraiba as well. But they are less costly than the blue and green hues.
3Clarity is Next
You need to know that the Paraiba tourmalines fall under type 3 gem. It means you can easily find inclusions in them that are visible to the naked eye. Some of the most famous inclusions that you can see in them are four-ray stars, chatoyancy, cabochons, and asterism. You need to select one that you love carefully.
4Cut Makes a Difference
You need to next check for the stones that have proper cuts as they can significantly enhance the stone. You may mostly find the oval cuts and custom cuts. A gemstone that is they cut adequately can look attractive.
5Carats Determine the Costs
Paraiba tourmaline rough gemstones usually come in one and two carats if they are from Paraiba. But if these stones are coming from Africa, they can go upto 20 carats. The price jumps when the carat of the stone raises from one to twenty.
