Why origin matters

After the initial discovery in the 1980s of neon-coloured tourmaline at Mina da Batalha in Brazil’s Paraiba state, the trade and consumers alike were mesmerized by its unique electric glow. Demand grew and by the early 1990s, the mine was basically exhausted, making higher-quality gems extremely expensive. In fact, today, the finest specimens of two- to three-carats can top $20,000 per carat at the retail level.

Stones resembling the Paraiba gem were subsequently discovered in Nigeria and later in Mozambique, with both varieties containing copper and manganese, the elements responsible for the gem’s unmistakable neon colour. Since Nigerian and Mozambique stones are similar in colour to Paraiba tourmaline sourced from Brazil, various labs began referring to them as ‘paraiba,’ although it was unclear whether the term was being applied to describe variety or origin. Clearly, a regular green tourmaline mined in Paraiba could not be referred to as Paraiba tourmaline, even though it was mined there. Therefore, many saw the name as referring to not just origin, but also to a specific rich electric turquoise colour.

Outcry ensued among traders of Paraiba-sourced stones that using the term for all tourmaline with similar colouring diminished their value, since they are generally brighter in colour, of higher quality, and rarer. The court’s dismissal of the case left it up to gem labs to determine the terminology they use on their reports. Where one may deem a stone with sufficient levels of saturation and proper hue can be called ‘paraiba,’ another might simply call it ‘copper- and manganese-bearing.’ Some labs have taken to using the term ‘paraiba-type’ tourmaline when referring to the Nigerian or Mozambique variety. For the purpose of our discussion, we will use ‘paraiba’ to designate variety and ‘Paraiba’ when referring to origin.

With more neon-coloured tourmalines from Africa making their way to Canada, a closer look is in order.

Provenance and pricing

According to Renee Newman, author of Ruby, Sapphire & Emerald Buying Guide: How to Identify, Evaluate & Select These Gems, provenance can have a major impact on price when the following criteria are met:

1. The stone is of gem quality. While it does not have to be clean, the gem must be crystalline and not semi-opaque or translucent, and usually transparent, although there may be some exceptions where collectors will compromise on these qualities to complete their collection.
2. The source has produced stones of an exceptional quality that are difficult to find elsewhere.
3. The number of high-grade stones from the source is very limited.
   Rarity is important in pricing.
4. The stone is accompanied by a report from a respected lab(s) stating it is actually from the source indicated.

Four stones meeting these criteria and with extremely high premiums are:

• Kashmir sapphire;
• Mogok ruby from Burma;
• Russian alexandrite; and
• Paraiba tourmaline from Brazil.