Gem Profile 2:   Paraiba Tourmaline
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History and Romance
Gem Qualities
Color Variations
Enhancements
Substitutes
Care and Cleaning

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    What would you say to someone who offered you Brazilian cuprian elbaite from Sao Jose da Batalha?  Say "Yes!"  Cuprian elbaite is another name for copper-colored tourmaline.  Sao Jose da Batalha is in the Brazilian state of Paraiba... and the vibrantly colored Pariaba tourmaline is one of the most favored colored gems among dealers.

History and Romance:
        The material first appeared in the United States in 1987.  Most gemologists who looked at the vivid blue, blue-green, and green tourmalines wondered if this was something too good to be true, and gem labs immediately began investigating the nature of the color.  Researchers concluded that the rare occurrence of trace amounts of cooper, along with manganese, had created these vivid, neon-like, never-before seen electric colors.  
        When the stones became commercially available in the trade a few years later, prices climbed quickly to $2,000 per carat, an unusually high price for tourmaline.  But the color was worth it-- even when it became known that it probably was induced by heat.  It has been shown, since the initial studies, that most Paraibas are heat-treated, although the characteristic colors have been found in natural unheated Paraiba material.

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Gem Qualities:
       Expect to see inclusions, as you would with most tourmalines.  But who cares?  It's the vibrant sapphire- and turquoise- like colors that make Pariabas so well liked.

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Color Variations:
        This is where Pariaba tourmaline shines.  The colors are vivid, sometimes described as fluorescent, electric, or neon.  Unless a gemological laboratory proves otherwise, assume the stones have been heat treated.  Typical colors for Pariaba tourmaline are green, green-blue, blue, violet, and purple.

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Enhancements:
        Heat treatment has not affected the value or stability of Paraibas, but the possibility of fracture filling has sparked some concern.  Fracture filling, though not a common enhancement technique, would be the logical next step, since commerical-qulaity tourmalines can show surface reaching fissures (inclusions).  When examining any tourmaline, look for enhancement with epoxies or resins. 

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Substitutes:   
          A new find of copper tourmalines was discovered toward the end of 2001 in Nigeria.  These gems can be heat-treated to some of the greenish blue and bluish-green "aquamarine-like" and "mint-green" Pariaba colors.  They have been labeled everything from Paraiba Nigerian tourmalines to Indogo tourmalines, named after the Edoukou mine in Oyo, Nigeria.
            Vivid apatites have been seen in showcases mislabeled as Paraiaba tourmaline or correctly labeled as Paraiba-like apaties. 

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Care and Cleaning:
        Don't forget that Paraibas are still tourmalines.  You  should be aware that all tourmalines are piezoelectric- electrically charged by heat and/or light.  Tourmalines in a jewelers showcase usually contain enough of an electrical charge to attract a fair amount of dust.  But because the gem is only 6.5 in hardness, and most dust is 7 in hardness, it's always wise to was tourmalines with soapy water before wiping with a cloth.  Wiping a dry, dusty tourmaline can scratch and dull the polished surface. 

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