The Mesmerizing Beauty of Rare Blue Tourmaline Gemstones

The Mesmerizing Beauty of Blue Tourmaline

For centuries, tourmaline was an overlooked gemstone that was often confused with other minerals. sailors once used it as a talisman, believing it could protect them at sea. Little did they know, the nondescript crystals they scraped from their pipes would one day sparkle on the rich and famous.

What is Tourmaline?

Tourmalines refer to an entire group of complex mineral compositions. It is a highly versatile stone available in a rainbow of colors from pink, red, green, yellow to the iconic ink blue. Their wide variation comes down to differences in their chemical makeup. Even a single tourmaline crystal can contain two or more hues!

The Allure of Blue Tourmaline

Without a doubt, blue is the most coveted tourmaline color. Ranging from light sky blue to deep rich royal blue, they never fail to mesmerize. The rarest and most valuable type is the neon blue-green paraíba tourmaline first discovered in Brazil. Its signature vivid color comes from trace amounts of copper within the stone.

High quality paraíba tourmaline over one carat are exponentially rarer than diamonds. This scarcity makes them a worthwhile investment for any serious collector. In fact, per carat they can fetch higher prices than the most flawless diamonds!

The Discovery of Blue Tourmaline

For years, bright blue-green tourmaline crystals were stumbled upon by miners sifting through gem gravel in Paraíba, Brazil. They almost resembled green grossularite garnets so they garnered little interest. It was not until the late 1980s that mineralogists confirmed it as a unique variety of tourmaline.

The Rush to Paraíba

News of spectacular neon blue tourmaline caused a frenzy as miners and gem traders rushed to Paraíba. Prices skyrocketed as fine specimens changed hands quickly. Other deposits with similar chemical makeup were later uncovered in Nigeria and Mozambique.

However, none can compare to the quality produced by that tiny Brazilian state that gave paraíba tourmaline its name. Supply remains painfully low as few pockets are found. Most paraíba tourmalines barely weigh over a carat.

Soaring Value and Demand

It did not take long for paraíba tourmaline to cement itself as the world's most coveted colored gemstone. Fine jewelry houses like Tiffany & Co. showcase huge cuts of this glittering stone. Celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Catherine Zeta-Jones dazzled in blue tourmaline jewelry on red carpets.

This publicity only fueled demand further. In recent years, value has risen up to $10,000 per carat for gem quality material. Who would have thought the modest tourmaline crystals once used by sailors as pipe cleaners would one day rival the reign of diamonds?

The Alluring Beauty of Blue Tourmaline

Natural blue tourmaline has a gorgeous vibrancy unmatched by any other gem. Coveted for millennia by nobility around the world, today it remains the domain of connoisseurs. With supply chains struggling to keep up with soaring demand, the future shines as brightly as this mesmerizing stone.