A neon gem shines with a new urgency

The electric hue of a Paraíba tourmaline makes it easy to spot. A shade of icy green-blue that you would expect of a swimming pool, the gem shone vibrantly as it hung from the lobes of model Daria Werbowy in Gucci’s high jewellery campaign in January 2024.

Paraíbas, I am told, are a new favourite of Gucci’s. And it’s not the only fashion house to have taken a liking to the stone in recent years. In 2021, when Bulgari launched its annual capsule collection Colour Journeys, Paraíba tourmalines were the first stone to be featured. Jewellers including Boghossian and David Morris say they are seeing growing interest from clients, who seek out Paraíbas for their unique colour.

“What is very appealing at the moment is the particularity of the neon colour, which truly shines in the dark. It’s probably the only stone that, if you look at it with minimum light, will still glow,” says Boghossian managing partner Roberto Boghossian.

The rise of Paraíba tourmalines has been swift, he notes, and aligns with the continued popularity of green gemstones (historically emeralds), which in some cultures are seen as fortuitous.

“It is quite a new stone if you put it in the context of other gems, since it only started appearing 30 years ago,” says Boghossian. “People always talk about the four precious stones — diamond, ruby, emerald and sapphire — but over the past few years, Paraíbas have picked up more interest and today it is probably the most precious out of all the semi-precious stones.” 

Paraíbas, which contain traces of copper (giving it a unique colour), are named after their origins — the state of Paraíba in north-east Brazil — where they were first discovered in the late 1980s. By the 21st century, similarly coloured tourmalines could be found in Nigeria and Mozambique. Jewellers now commonly refer to the neon green-blue variety of tourmalines as Paraíba, regardless of where they were sourced.

The original discovery shifted the pricing of tourmalines, which at the time, were “not a high priced stone compared to rubies, sapphires and diamonds”, says São Paulo-based jeweller Ara Vartanian. “But all of a sudden, you have this really rare type of tourmaline with copper inside and a strong neon blue colour.”

As the popularity of Paraíba tourmalines grew, so did their prices. “In the past three to five years, the price of Paraíbas from Brazil have gone up at least two times, if not more. We can see an increase of at least 20 to 30 per cent every year,” says Boghossian.

Jeremy Morris, son of jeweller David Morris, who now runs the family business, observes that Paraíbas can fetch as much as seven figures, depending on qualities such as size, colour and origin.

Experts warn that the depletion of mines in Brazil over the past decade has led to a shortage of quality Paraíba tourmalines. “We don’t see any larger sized stones coming out any more,” says Vartanian, adding that while large stones are still being mined in Africa, the neon colour “is not as intense.”

The new scarcity has created a sense of urgency among shoppers. “Whatever we buy pretty much sells quickly,” says Boghossian.

No surprise then that jewellers are secretive about where they source their Paraíbas from; second-hand dealers, auctions and private sellers are among those channels. All executives interviewed assured that their stones were ethically sourced, although did not explain how they were able to guarantee that.

So, what makes a good quality Paraíba? Look for vibrancy of colour as a starting point, advises Morris. “Not too much green, but not pure blue either. It just needs a tiny touch of green, say 5 or 10 per cent, in the blue to give it luminosity.” Purity is next, followed by size. “I tend to use very small Paraíbas for more intricate work and very large ones for rings or centre stones for the projects I may be working on,” he says.

Morris adds a modern twist by mixing Paraíbas with other gems. The brand’s latest Iznik ring features a large emerald-cut Burmese sapphire surrounded by little droplet-shaped Paraíba tourmalines, while its Starburst cuff is as starry as its name: oval-shaped Paraíbas dotted among diamonds and set in 18-carat white gold.

“I think [Paraíba tourmalines] complement sapphires extremely well. They also look great with emeralds,” says Morris. “There are a lot of uses for them as highlights in jewellery; it gives a new dimension to what would otherwise be quite classic. If you had a sapphire and you added a few little Paraíbas in there, all of a sudden it becomes quite electric.”

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