Schullin

Tourmaline has an astonishing range of colours, but none more sought after than the electric Paraiba, one of the world’s most prized gemstones. This type of elbaite is colored by a complex chemical interplay notably involving traces of copper. In rare cases, typically through gentle heating, vivid neon green-blues and blues are produced. Many who see these exotic hues for the first time find it difficult to believe such vivid, vibrant colors are possible in a natural stone.

Discovered in the late 1980s in São José da Batalha in the Brazilian state of Paraíba, the gemstone was first introduced at the 1990 Tucson gem and mineral show. The initial surprise over the unprecedented colours quickly turned into soaring demand and historic values for tourmaline over a short four-day period, cementing a trend that has kept a furious pace ever since. In 2003, explorations in the copper-rich mountains of Mozambique yielded a new deposit of these electrifying green-blue tourmalines.

Sotheby’s is proud to present this magnificent example which was sourced from Mozambique. It is of exceptional size, weighing nearly fifty carats, and has excellent clarity. It is these factors which combine to make this Paraiba truly worthy of the finest collections.