Liv's Jewellery Journal

I’ve officially fallen in love, and not just with the new Barbie ads!! I’ve always thought myself to be a tanzanite girl, but tourmaline may have just stolen my heart.

1 paraiba tourmaline is mined for every 10,000 diamonds! Yes, that’s how rare these gemstones are, and they’re seriously gorgeous.

So what exactly makes them so rare? Before Dimas Barbosa found the first paraiba tourmaline (which wasn’t until the 1980s, given tourmaline was first discovered during the 1500s), tourmaline stones were available in every colour of the rainbow. However, none came close to the vivid neon blue and green of paraibas, it’s as if they glow from within! Trace elements of copper (specifically copper mixed with manganese) are what give paraibas their distinguishing blue glow. Prior to the paraiba tourmaline, there were no known tourmaline gemstones that contained copper.

One of the many reasons I fell so in love with paraiba, is that tourmaline is strongly pleochroic. It is actually the most dichroic of all gemstones (if I pause on the fancy terms for a moment, that means each tourmaline crystal has two colours (dark and light), whose intensity changes when viewed from different angles). I’m a lover of anything with a twist, so I could write essays on the beauty of pleochroic gems (perhaps it’s why I’m such a fangirl for tanzanite). That said, there’s no denying that paraiba does it like no other, giving it an irresistible glow that I doubt anyone could resist!

On a symbolic note for my spiritual ladies, tourmaline represents wisdom, voice, insight, and creativity. As a whole, gemstones with a blue hue are said to represent serenity, stability, and calmness. Many have also come to associate this stone with metaphysical properties such as clarity of mind and a feeling of justice and power. Who wouldn’t love it? 

I’d love to hear what you all think – I for one feel completely bought into the world of tourmaline! 

Paraiba Tourmaline & Diamond – Case & Case Fine Jewellers, Warrington.