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Paraiba Tourmaline: Is the Hype True?

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Fashionvictim

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 30, 2006
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223
I thought I''d ask the experts here, since JTV makes a biiig deal out of Paraiba Tourmaline.

I think its just beautiful, but is it as rare and expensive as they say?
 

strmrdr

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 1, 2003
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23,295
depends on if its the real deal or not.
There are some other threads on the differences here.

Why someone would spend a fortune on a stone that looks like a zircon costing 1/100 the price is beyond me however.
ie: $25000 vs $250
 

MINE!!

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 25, 2005
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3,287
Nice Paraiba really is worth it. I have heard JTV say "real Paraiba" COLOR.. many times. But the color is nothing like the real beautiful, exspensive high quality stuff..Maurice has some beautiful ones.

If I had the money for the good stuff (up to 20,000 per carat) that would be what I would get.. It is my dream stone.

Looks a bit different from what JTV calls rare and wonderful color parabia???

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whatIraeakkywant.jpg
 

riogems

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
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194
A real top quality paraiba looks amazing, even in dark evening lighting. It has a sparkle that is hard to find words to explain. There is plenty of low quality real paraiba tourmaline available too -- like most gemstones, quality and price will vary. I don''t watch JTV, but I can''t imagine them selling quality paraiba tourmaline on their tv channel... for example, a 10 carat stone may sell for $20,000-50,000 for a decent quality. Who would buy something like that on tv?

There was a paraiba tourmaline stone that sold last year for over $1 million. There is a general sentiment that prices are subsiding a little. There are also a lot of people exploring in Mozambique for this gem.
 

ger100

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
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172
Mine:

I''ve got a .95 ct Apatite which is just like the color on the right in your photo...$20. It''s a decent size (7x5) because of its density, a really pretty color, and it also has "night sparkle." Too bad it''s so soft. I bought it just to have something which looks like a good Paraiba. Although, now I''ve heard that the price of this color Apatite is going up, BECAUSE it resembles Paraiba...go figure.
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Ger
 

ger100

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Sep 24, 2006
Messages
172
Adam:

On ebay, they''ve got several colors of tourmaline (other than that gorgeous blue sea) which they''re calling Paraiba because they have "some copper" in them. Ain''t that a hoot! Ebay is almost as treacherous as JTV.
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I''m a newbie at gemstones (an oldster on ebay), but to watch some of the prices which ebayers on bidding on these things based on the supposed "Paraiba, copper" connection...sheesh!

BTW, any frustrated JTV folks: take a look around on ebay...tons of stones from Thailand, Singapore, etc. to watch. I like to bookmark them and then see what they go for. I got some cheap 1-2 ct sapphires from Thailand. Most were nice, a couple had windows, but they were only a few dollars so no big loss...just a good learning experience for me. My 30+ cts Kunzite was a good deal. The picture didn''t look great, but the stone is gorgeous, and well-cut, unlike most of the more recent JTV stuff.

I''ve read that gemstones are fast becoming the number one collectible in the country (not JTV hype).
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And just the 6 weeks or so since I''ve been screening ebay, with a few specific sellers marked, I''ve already noticed a change in attitude: from starting a stone at 99 cents, to BIN or best offer (in the hundreds), and even some starting prices in the thousands. Amazing. Just like JTV: Who would buy something that expensive, AND from a foreign country?

Ger
 
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