Iconic Neon Blue-Green Brazil Paraiba Tourmaline
Brazil is where Paraiba tourmaline was first found, in the state it is named after, and Brazilian stones are still the benchmark the other origins are judged against. The colour is an electric blue-green that looks lit from within, caused by traces of copper with manganese in the crystal. This ring was built around one such stone, set in a floral diamond halo designed at GIOIA Fine Jewellery.
The original Batalha mine is close to worked out. What still comes through is small, usually under a carat, and often included, so a clean Brazilian Paraiba above two carats is rare enough that the trade calls it a unicorn. That scarcity, not marketing, is what sets the price.
What a Brazil Paraiba Costs
Fine unheated Brazilian Paraiba trades in roughly the US$15,000 to US$50,000 per carat range, with exceptional stones going higher. Our own fine Brazilian material starts at around US$18,000 per carat. Mozambique Paraiba, which tends to be larger and cleaner, sits below that, roughly US$6,000 to US$20,000 per carat.
The 2025 Auction Record
On 10 December 2025, at Christie’s New York, a Tiffany & Co. necklace set with a 13.54 carat Brazilian Paraiba tourmaline from the Draime collection sold for US$4,223,000, a little over US$311,000 per carat. It broke a record that had stood since 2015, when a 5.50 carat Paraiba ring made US$3.3 million at Christie’s Geneva.
Two things are worth noting about that stone. It was heated, by a low-temperature process, which is normal for Paraiba. And it came with the Tiffany name and a well-known collection behind it, both of which add to an auction price beyond the value of the stone alone. A loose Brazilian Paraiba of similar quality would not reach that per-carat figure. The record still tells you something real: demand for the best Brazilian material keeps running ahead of a supply that is close to gone.
Judging a Brazil Paraiba
- Colour. The body colour runs from blue and greenish-blue to bluish-green, with some purplish stones. A vivid, almost electric blue is the rarest and most valued.
- Saturation, the neon factor. The best stones seem to glow even in low light. The strength of that effect is the main driver of price.
- Clarity. Tourmaline is a Type III gemstone, so inclusions are expected. A Brazilian Paraiba that is genuinely clean is unusual and priced accordingly.
- Carat. Brazilian rough is small. Anything over two carats with good colour is exceptional.
Brazil or Mozambique?
Paraiba tourmaline was found in the state of Paraiba in the late 1980s by Heitor Dimas Barbosa, and its colour surprised the gem trade when it first appeared in 1989. Copper-bearing tourmaline is also mined in the neighbouring state of Rio Grande do Norte, and both are sold under the Brazilian Paraiba name.
Mozambique became the main source from the mid-2000s and produces larger, cleaner stones. Brazilian material is scarcer and, at the top end, more saturated. For a small stone where colour is everything, Brazilian is often the choice; for a larger clean stone, Mozambique usually makes more sense. We keep both so the comparison can be made in person.
The Floral Halo Engagement Ring
This engagement ring sets a Brazilian Paraiba in a floral halo of pear-shaped diamonds and blue sapphires, a vintage-leaning design worked out in sketches with the couple. The sapphires pick up the blue in the tourmaline without competing with its glow.
Commission a Brazil Paraiba Ring
We hold loose Brazil and Mozambique Paraiba tourmaline for private viewing, each with a report from GIA, Gubelin, SSEF or GRS. A commission starts with choosing the stone, then the design. See the full Paraiba tourmaline guide or our Paraiba engagement rings, and book an appointment to see the stones.
