This Might Be the Rarest Paraíba Tourmaline Globally

The significance of a 37-carat untreated gemstone as a major discovery and the methods to acquire it.

M.S. RAU

They are available in hot pink. Additionally, red and orange. A range of greens. There exists a kind of watermelon that is precisely what its name suggests. The most esteemed variety of tourmaline is the Paraíba.

The name originates from the Brazilian state where these stones were initially found in the 1980s, characterized by their "Windex blue" coloration due to copper concentrations. Heitor Dimas Barbosa is credited with introducing Paraíba into the jewelry lexicon, driven by a profound belief in the existence of buried treasure in those hills. He commenced excavation in 1981 and persisted until the first tourmaline was discovered six years later. Consequently, a global uproar ensued. The demand for these unusual stones was so insatiable that the mines were exhausted within a few years.

Indeed, nothing enhances a jewelry mythology more than profound scarcity and an exceptional genesis narrative. Although the discovery of analogous neon blue tourmalines in Mozambique has mitigated the scarcity (they have even assumed the Paraíba designation and attract high prices), the most devoted purists assert that authentic Paraíba tourmalines must originate from Brazil. They are essentially unattainable now, as the majority are in private collections.

This leads us to the Paraíba in issue. The provenance of this gemstone from Barbosa’s original Batalha mine warrants attention; moreover, its substantial size of 37.34 carats and its entirely natural peacock blue hue, devoid of any heat enhancement, render it a remarkable, singular discovery. “It is not merely rare; it is irreplaceable,” states Bill Rau, the third-generation proprietor of M.S. Rau, who obtained the jewel. “Such stones are no longer extant.” This is regarded as the largest gem of its type ever recorded and perhaps the sole specimen in existence. Currently situated in a platinum and rose gold pendant encircled by pink and white diamonds, it is available at the 113-year-old New Orleans jewelry and antique emporium for somewhat less than $10 million.

Will we truly never witness anything of this nature again? “I must respond in two perspectives,” states geologist Brian Cook, who has collaborated with the Barbosa family. “As a miner, I affirm!” Prospectors possess an intense ambition to actualize their aspirations. As a pragmatic, I would be astonished to encounter another peacock blue jewel of this magnitude.