The History of Paraiba Tourmaline
Leading Gem miner Heitor Dimas Barbosa, began mining in Brazil in the hills of Paraiba where he had a feeling there was something different waiting to be discovered. After five years of mining the first Paraiba tourmaline crystals were found in very small quantities, not enough to introduce to the open market. Mining continued for several more years before the crystals became more abundant.
In 2005, the gem market was introduced to Paraiba Tourmalines however these where secondary stones discovered in Nigeria and Mozambique. Some confusion about the Paraiba origins where voiced. Tests where done and initially no differences where found, further tests revealed slight chemical differences of the stones from Brazil, Nigeria and Mozambique. Only the Brazilian stones had a natural glow, stones from Nigeria and Mozambique where heat treated to bring on the glow.
Excitement with Gemmologist's - Neon Glow - electric
What was causing this excitement was this unique glow. This precious stone has a glow that can only be described as "neon" and "electric." The glow is attributed to small amounts of copper contained in each stone's chemical composition. It is this copper content that gives this gemstone its glow.
Price & Rareness
Being much rarer than a diamond these Tourmalines are very expensive. The small rounds one we have found are cut in a seriously limited supply and we cannot guarantee we can supply them for much longer.
Brazilian Stones
In Brazil, the Paraiba mines are excavated by hand, a series of connecting tunnels are dug. The stones are found in thin viens around the walls no more than 1cm thick. It is this laborious difficult mining that adds to the stone being very expensive.
Paraiba Tourmaline On Offer Today
The stone we offer today are Brazilian stones of the highest quality, they are rarely produced over one carat in size or under 4mm as the best cut for the largest stone is the most important to get the best price for the cutting.
There is now hardly any expectation that further finds will be made.
Heitor Dimas Barbosa, spent 5 years dedicated to a hunch that something special, something different was in the small mine, he just kept going, hoping one day a discovery would be made. As the first stones where unearthed the father of the Paraiba tourmalines was ill and not present at the mine. The crystals were sold without him having seen them. When word got out about the discovery there was a time of manic activity at the mine. The mine was raked for several years before being destroyed in places. There is now hardly any expectation that further finds will be made.
3 Stone Colour Range

The concentration of copper results in radiant hues of blue, and turquoise. The stones generally come in 3 colours being Neon Blue, Neon Green and Deep violet. The blues being the most hunted of them all.
Paraiba tourmalines from Brazil are among the rarest and sought after gems in the world. Needless to say, they are also one of the most expensive. We are lucky to get a small selection to offer to you today. Having searched for almost a year for these amazing little gems, one of our very specialist gemstone dealers had these cut for BMG jewellery. Last year we where lucky enough to find 2 batches of mixed quality and colour, both batches sold out within a couple of weeks.
Today for the first time we are proud to be able to offer you something new, something unique and different. This is not a sales pitch to draw you in. This is a genuine rare treat of a limited supply of this fascinating rare gemstone.
At the moment we have enough to be able to offer custom work using the stones. For example rings, earrings or even a cluster. If you want to take advantage of this scarce opportunity please email your request.
Custom Made Neon Blue Rings By BMG's Barnaby King
Browse Paraiba Tourmaline Range Now.
By Richard Soper
CEO BMG jewellery
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Absolutely stunning nose stud!! Luv, Luv, Luv it.. and I have received a ton of compliments!!!