Important Notice

Each designed as a chandelier earring centring a gently graduated row of nicely matched oval-shaped paraiba tourmalines, flanked by an oval-shaped tourmaline on both sides, suspending pear-shaped tourmalines to a similarly set surmount, mounted in 18K gold.


Paraiba tourmaline: 22.3 carats
Gross weight: 22.05 grams
Length: 6 cm

PARAIBA TOURMALINE

A fairly new addition to the tourmaline family, the origins of these rare, neon-blue gemstones can be traced to the state of Paraiba in Brazil. The electric blue colour of the Paraiba tourmaline comes from the presence of copper and only manifests when the gemstone is cut, resulting in a scintillating glow even when there is very little light. A higher concentration of copper results in the highly coveted radiant blue and turquoise hue, as seen in lot 45 and 46.

Paraiba tourmalines were discovered in the 1980s by Heitor Dimas Barbosa, an ambitious gem miner. The first handful of spirited blue tourmalines, in a colour the world had never witnessed before, was brought up from the mines into the daylight, in the autumn of 1989. The difficulty in mining the Paraiba tourmaline is what makes this gem rare and expensive.

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