Nata Heng Schluessel, GG
Roland Schluessel, FGA
Paraiba Tourmalines
 Roland Schluessel in front of Paraiba Tourmaline crystals.jpg) |
 The Da Batalha mine where the first Paraiba Tourmaline have been discovered.jpg) |
| Roland Schluessel in front of Paraiba Tourmaline crystals. | The Da Batalha mine where the first Paraiba Tourmaline have been discovered. |
 Hunting for the best Paraiba Tourmaline crystals.jpg) |
 |
| Hunting for the best Paraiba Tourmaline crystals. | Exceptional 13.75 cts. Paraiba Tourmaline next to its rough. |
The Paraiba Tourmaline is the most precious and most spectacular among the Tourmaline family and its prices are comparable to those paid for magnificent Colombian Emeralds.
 Only a few faceted gemstones can be recovered from several tons of material.jpg)
Its name is more a worldwide accepted commercial term rather than a mineralogical name. Paraiba is a remote area of North-Eastern Brazil where this spectacular gemstone has been discovered in the late 1980s. Paraiba Tourmalines are mined exclusively in a few pegmatite mines within a small area near the border of the states Paraiba and Rio Grande Do Norte and are not found anywhere else in the World.
This astonishing gemstone is a copper and manganese rich Elbaite-Tourmaline which owes its “electric” vibrant color and its exceptional brilliancy to a minute content of copper. Their colors vary between light blue to dark blue and light green to emerald green. The most desirable and most priced color is a vivid turquoise blue. Fine stones over 2 carats are very rare and when they exceed 5 carats they are considered as exceptional rarities worth ten thousands of dollars.
PILLAR & STONE INTERNATIONAL offers a wide selection of this precious gemstone in 0.5 carat to 5 carat sizes.
WHAT IS A GEM PARAIBA TOURMALINE?
PROPERTIES:
Best color = Vivid turquoise blue (vibrant “electric” color in daylight and in incandescent light).
Transparency = Transparent.
Brilliancy = Very high; sparkly appearance.
Clarity = Eye clean to heavily included (influences the price strongly)
Hardness = 7 to 7 ½
Toughness = Fair.
Cleavage = None.
 Some characteristic colors for Paraiba TourmalinesTurquoise blue is themost desirable color.jpg)
CLEANING METHODS:
Ultrasonic and Steamer = Risky. Caution: never put an included Paraiba Tourmaline into an ultrasonic cleaner.
Warm soapy water: Safe.
STABILITY:
Reaction to heat = Strong heat may alter color and sudden temperature changes may cause fracturing.
Reaction to chemicals = None.
 The Paraiba-color of every collector's dreams.jpg)
ENHANCEMENTS:
Mainly heated. Suother/rface reaching fractures may be filled with oil. The FTC requires complete disclosure of these treatments.
IMITATIONS:
Various assembled stones (doublets and triplets), blue Apatite and irradiated blue Topaz.
MOST RESEMBLING GEMSTONES:
Emerald for green color and Apatite for blue color.
