Paraiba

[Deia]

Hey all, happy Sunday.

I'm wondering what's going on with paraiba? I've only just come back to the forums but there seems to be a lot of different threads with paraiba purchases... it was popular a few years ago just wondering why the sudden interest again? (It's a gorgeous stone and I would love to own one but thinking prices are a bit high?)

Tia!

 

[chatoyancy]

Hey all, happy Sunday.

I'm wondering what's going on with paraiba? I've only just come back to the forums but there seems to be a lot of different threads with paraiba purchases... it was popular a few years ago just wondering why the sudden interest again? (It's a gorgeous stone and I would love to own one but thinking prices are a bit high?)

Tia!

I cannot speak for anyone else here because my situation is a bit different. I saw the most amazing windex blue paraiba with a touch of violet at a mini gem show put on by a jeweler. I could in no way afford it. This was back in 2000. I could not unsee that stone though. I only saw paraiba three more times in jewelry stores. They were all aqua or green. Anyway, since I saw my first paraiba, I have wanted one. I decided years ago that an accent stone for my black opal (as long as us was a beautiful saturated color) would be fine. I met gemologist in March at a local gem show who sold what I wanted. I decided to ask my husband for a stone for my May birthday. The seller was at a local gem show earlier this month, so I bought one that looked perfect with my opal. I want to have a pendant made. I absolutely love it and feel that the only thing I compromised on was cut (seller didn't cut it, he is actually a very god cutter). However, if I win the lottery, I will buy a paraiba equivalent to the first one I saw.

 

[lilmosun]

Part of it may be that, 1-2 years ago, Yvonne (Cecile Raley Designs on etsy) developed a relationship with a dealer who has Brazilian Paraiba inventory. That was about a year or two ago. So she has offered them since. Knowing this a lot of folks place wish lists or watch her shop for these, particularly when she goes to Tucson or JCK (which she just came back from). And then there is the PS effect....

Personally speaking, I found PS during my Paraiba hunt and thrilled that she can find them at reasonable prices (as far as Paraiba's go). I asked her to find a small greener round at JCK for a project I had in mind and was able to get one.

 

[Acinom]

My guess: it's the PS effect. Reinforced by the fact that Yvonne Raley sells Paraibas and copper bearing tourmalines at reasonable/affordable prices.

 

[Arcadian]

@Deia , you're not alone in your thinking. they are an expensive stone and the scarcity of them makes them very desirable. I can't afford what I want because I don't make that kind of money. Yes the ladies and gents here have some absolutely gorgeous stones, And even though I itch to have one, I won't settle for less than what I want.

 

[minousbijoux]

My guess: it's the PS effect. Reinforced by the fact that Yvonne Raley sells Paraibas and copper bearing tourmalines at reasonable/affordable prices.

I think the PS effect has a lot to do with it. One thing I notice is that just about ALL of the copper bearing tourmalines that have been showing up on PS in the past few years have been so included as to make them appear more opaque (rather than translucent or crystalline) but with glow. Personally, I think there is a much more limited market for these than the original Paraibas (and highest quality Mozambique and Nigerians) that had intense color, glow and sparkle. Only time will tell.

 

[theredspinel]

My purchase wasn't the PS effect. I hadn't brought a stone in a while, I had gotten some pink spinal pears and my pink spinal pendant a few months ago.

Now, I realised when I wear the pendant I don't have any earrings that compliment it well at all! And I find it weird not wearing earrings so I ended up not wearing the pendant much so far.

I realised I really needed to use the pink spinal pears and make them into earrings, so I have some earrings to wear with the pendant. I want the earrings to be big (But I'll never afford a big singular stone) so with a rough design idea in mind, I casually scrolled through Yvonne's shop waiting to see if anything caught my eye, that I could use in this future earring project. I wasn't planning on finding anything soon (i.e. the next few months).

When I saw her put up the paraiba I brought - for the first time I saw it (a paraiba) as something I loved, it had glow, decent size and a very decent price. So I pulled the trigger and bought it

Now I'm patiently waiting for a matching one to turn up one day so I get that bit closer to building my dream earrings. (Dream; because Paraiba?! And mehange spinel. Together! With a sprinkling of hayuniye). It's going to be awesome

 

[elle_71125]

My guess: it's the PS effect. Reinforced by the fact that Yvonne Raley sells Paraibas and copper bearing tourmalines at reasonable/affordable prices.

I agree with this. I'm not buying top quality gems but I am getting something at a price I can afford. I'm able to enjoy my own little piece of paraiba, knowing it's not the ideal. I can't afford the ideal stuff so I make do (and love) the pieces that I do have.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I think in part it is because we have seen these Paraibas set in gorgeous designs by PS members. I can look at a gem and think "that is a beautiful gem." But when I see the gem come to life in a piece of stunning jewelry it opens my imagination. I think other people may feel the same and covet these gems because they have been inspired.

 

[Seaglow]

On the contrary, Paraiba prices currently in main markets such as Japan and China are down. These two markets get many of the best paraibas/copper-bearing tourmalines and have been paying sky-high prices for the stone. The price sky-rocketed so fast that these market showed resistance as of late, thus some price adjustment. I think it's just the PS effect and a preferred vendor was carrying glowy stones at lower-than-most-vendor price.

 

[lilmosun]

Interesting discussion. Hopefully, we all know gemstones are not an investment.

Glad to see the prices in Asia are down. When I see pictures from the HK shows of all the paraibas, I remind myself that they aren't as rare as one might think so much as there is no new supply for now and most are not affordable. It would be wonderful to see some of the higher quality stones make their way to the US market (even if I couldn't afford it, lol).

And while I agree that I have yet to see any stones available that match those in my original pieces, it doesn't stop me from loving what is out there...their larger sizes at (relatively) affordable prices have inspired so many beautiful pieces here that its hard to resist. The glow still sets them apart making them great conversation pieces and beautiful. The funny thing is that people will often ask about my lower quality paraiba pieces whereas I've learned that many think my cluster pieces are costume jewelry because the stones don't look real...the only people who get excited on seeing those pieces are gem vendors, lol.

 

[doberman]

I actually saw somebody wearing one and couldn't get it out of my mind. Next to padparadscha sapphires, they are my favorite stones. I'm still on the search for a 1.5 ct oval to use in a pair of earrings, if anyone stumbles across one this color.

 

[theredspinel]

I actually saw somebody wearing one and couldn't get it out of my mind. Next to padparadscha sapphires, they are my favorite stones. I'm still on the search for a 1.5 ct oval to use in a pair of earrings, if anyone stumbles across one this color.

Yvonne's latest batch (all sold now I think) were that colour... But I don't know if they were the size you wanted. I'm glad to have found a project partner in you; I too am looking for a sister paraiba for my 5mm one to make into earrings

 

[doberman]

Yvonne's latest batch (all sold now I think) were that colour... But I don't know if they were the size you wanted. I'm glad to have found a project partner in you; I too am looking for a sister paraiba for my 5mm one to make into earrings

I saw those stones only after they were sold. I don't know the mm of my stone, I guess I should measure it. All I know is that it's a roundish oval a little over 1.5 cts. What kind of design are you thinking of for your earrings?

 

[theredspinel]

I saw those stones only after they were sold. I don't know the mm of my stone, I guess I should measure it. All I know is that it's a roundish oval a little over 1.5 cts. What kind of design are you thinking of for your earrings?

I'm planning to use mehange spinels pears and 2mm hayuniye with the paraiba too, something big and eye catching!

This is going to be a long drawn out project as other then the paraiba I also need three more mehange spinel pears (5x3 I think they were also from Yvonne).. So I can imagine I'll be waiting a while for these!

What about you?

Ps, adding the spinel pears because.. well pictures?!

 

[doberman]

I'm planning to use mehange spinels pears and 2mm hayuniye with the paraiba too, something big and eye catching!

This is going to be a long drawn out project as other then the paraiba I also need three more mehange spinel pears (5x3 I think they were also from Yvonne).. So I can imagine I'll be waiting a while for these!

What about you?

Ps, adding the spinel pears because.. well pictures?!

That will be gorgeous! I'm waffling lol. I have a very nice cabochon from Leon, so I'm set there. But in my heart of hearts I still want a high quality large faceted paraiba.

I also want to win the lottery. One might depend on the other lol.

 

[Barrett]

AHHHH....nice to see the same taste in stones as many others on PS.
I love the mahenge and hauyne idea, redspinel!
Deia, I posed the same question a few months back. I had taken a hiatus from Pricescope and online in general, to then come back and see more Paraiba threads on here than there ever was back when I was buying and selling cuprians.
Except for some of the examples I have seen from members here on Pricescope, I find most Paraiba's lackluster, overpriced, and not worthy of the hype they have.
I was a die hard Paraiba person back in the day, so talking down about them really goes against my cuprian scruples.
The person that posted about their Paraiba's looking like costume jewelry, is spot on to what you should be looking for with Cuprians. Anything less than "gaudy" looking, is just a normal tourmaline that you paid waaaay to much for.
Ultimately, it's more about the hype these days, than the actual quality of the stones.
You can put a big red bow on a pile of dog doo-doo....and....it's still just doo-doo.
Having copper in tourmaline makes no difference if the color sucks to begin with. It's still just a poorly colored tourmaline. One of the big issues, is all the dealers trying to push cuprians for prices that don't match the actual quality and value of the stone.

I guess I just don't see what others see in certain stones. I never see a "glow", unless it has a color that would grade vivid. If it's a "vivid" color, regardless of stone type, then oftentimes it seems to have a glow I can actually see. It's not a true "internal battery" glow, like the first Paraiba's had, or Burmese rubies have, but more of a color vibrancy(glow) that attracts the eye.
We know that stones don't actually "glow". Except for chromium in some stones, none of the rest actually glow when you look at them. I believe this is a function of the inclusions trapped in the stones, which in turn to scatter the light and give it the effect of a "glow".
This could be seen in some of those early pink mahenge's that were found. They had those tiny inclusions in them that scattered the light, thus giving them a soft, hazy glow.
Regardless, if the stone doesn't have a color grade of "vivid", then your stone isn't really a true Paraiba. Copper or not, it needs to have a color that stands above and beyond the multitude of tourmalines already out there.

Boy, if I still had my Batalha Mine Paraiba hook-up from back in the day, I could make a killing selling the rough these days for 4 times the price of what I sold them for in the past.

Paraiba is last decade's stone....
These days, it's a new stone that blows Paraiba tourmalines away.
Vietnamese cobalt spinel.
It has a color better than even the best Paraiba tourmalines. Copper ain't got sh*t on Cobalt.

 

[theredspinel]

AHHHH....nice to see the same taste in stones as many others on PS.
I love the mahenge and hauyne idea, redspinel!
Deia, I posed the same question a few months back. I had taken a hiatus from Pricescope and online in general, to then come back and see more Paraiba threads on here than there ever was back when I was buying and selling cuprians.
Except for some of the examples I have seen from members here on Pricescope, I find most Paraiba's lackluster, overpriced, and not worthy of the hype they have.
I was a die hard Paraiba person back in the day, so talking down about them really goes against my cuprian scruples.
The person that posted about their Paraiba's looking like costume jewelry, is spot on to what you should be looking for with Cuprians. Anything less than "gaudy" looking, is just a normal tourmaline that you paid waaaay to much for.
Ultimately, it's more about the hype these days, than the actual quality of the stones.
You can put a big red bow on a pile of dog doo-doo....and....it's still just doo-doo.
Having copper in tourmaline makes no difference if the color sucks to begin with. It's still just a poorly colored tourmaline. One of the big issues, is all the dealers trying to push cuprians for prices that don't match the actual quality and value of the stone.

I guess I just don't see what others see in certain stones. I never see a "glow", unless it has a color that would grade vivid. If it's a "vivid" color, regardless of stone type, then oftentimes it seems to have a glow I can actually see. It's not a true "internal battery" glow, like the first Paraiba's had, or Burmese rubies have, but more of a color vibrancy(glow) that attracts the eye.
We know that stones don't actually "glow". Except for chromium in some stones, none of the rest actually glow when you look at them. I believe this is a function of the inclusions trapped in the stones, which in turn to scatter the light and give it the effect of a "glow".
This could be seen in some of those early pink mahenge's that were found. They had those tiny inclusions in them that scattered the light, thus giving them a soft, hazy glow.
Regardless, if the stone doesn't have a color grade of "vivid", then your stone isn't really a true Paraiba. Copper or not, it needs to have a color that stands above and beyond the multitude of tourmalines already out there.

Boy, if I still had my Batalha Mine Paraiba hook-up from back in the day, I could make a killing selling the rough these days for 4 times the price of what I sold them for in the past.

Paraiba is last decade's stone....
These days, it's a new stone that blows Paraiba tourmalines away.
Vietnamese cobalt spinel.
It has a color better than even the best Paraiba tourmalines. Copper ain't got sh*t on Cobalt.

LIKE lol. I don't see a glow a lot of the time too.. but I think I see it with the one I got (but it's due to the inclusions scattering the light and giving it a soft hazy glow as you said). I don't know! Sometimes I think I understand what the "glow" is then everyone goes and says they see it in a stone where I cant and I'm like huh?

Anyway... cobalt spinal you say? What about hayunite!


* Why is my blurry picture so massive?!! Doesn't really show off the hayune very well! I'm not really going to get out of bed (with my fever) wash and dry my hayune items of jewellery, not to mention gather my loose melee and take a picture for the purposes of this thread am I....

 

[Seaglow]

Barrett! Are these your new batch of Luc Yens?

 

[Barrett]

Nothing beats the hauyne at all. Hands down. No tanzanite, tourmaline, or sapphire, that have I ever seen, has had the color of Hauyne. Vietnamese cobalt spinel has the closest color to Hauyne, in my opinion. damn things are not much bigger than Hauyne too! LOL

You know you're in a good place when the fellow gem lovers around you use stones like Hauyne, as accent stones!!!
I just took these pics an hour ago of some more cobalt bearing spinel from Vietnam.....
I had a batch of these stones for over 2 years, and had lost track of them for awhile.
I ended up finding them in a box I had packed up when we moved.

 

[T L]

Apatite can be very nice too.

 

[theredspinel]

Nothing beats the hauyne at all. Hands down. No tanzanite, tourmaline, or sapphire, that have I ever seen, has had the color of Hauyne. Vietnamese cobalt spinel has the closest color to Hauyne, in my opinion. damn things are not much bigger than Hauyne too! LOL

You know you're in a good place when the fellow gem lovers around you use stones like Hauyne, as accent stones!!!
I just took these pics an hour ago of some more cobalt bearing spinel from Vietnam.....
I had a batch of these stones for over 2 years, and had lost track of them for awhile.
I ended up finding them in a box I had packed up when we moved.

Wow that's really something!

 

[Barrett]

Here are a couple more I snapped photos of earlier....
Looks just as good as Paraiba tourmaline, if you ask me........
I have some sweet "paraiba" apatite crystals from Brazil(heated), that I compared side by side with the cobalt spinel.....a nice try with hue and saturation on the apatite's part, but it wasn't enough to best the awesome power of cobalt as a coloring chromophore! I have a little glass vial that I put all the best colored ones in, to see what it looked like. I recall a fellow PS'er who had done something similar with....hmm...I think it was pink/red spinels...mahenge I think.

You can see the dremel piece in one of the pictures...LOL...I need the dang insert that that piece goes over, before I can do any drilling.

 

[Arcadian]

Personally, I DO love Hyune and apatite. I had my eye on some apatite for a ring (yeah I know don't care though...lol)I have a single solitary hyune thats a spec like 1mm... mainly for the collection. I wish it came in larger sizes because its gorgeous.

 

[mochiko42]

Personally, I DO love Hyune and apatite. I had my eye on some apatite for a ring (yeah I know don't care though...lol)I have a single solitary hyune thats a spec like 1mm... mainly for the collection. I wish it came in larger sizes because its gorgeous.

Here is a 7x5mm hauyne! But it is not as bright as the smaller pieces.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/512634...search_query=hauynite&ref=shop_items_search_4

 

[Arcadian]

Here is a 7x5mm hauyne! But it is not as bright as the smaller pieces.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/512634...search_query=hauynite&ref=shop_items_search_4

So... big finger girl over here...lol I could see a double halo... But its also about the same color as the Kyanite I have which is dead on the 3ct mark( and iffen I weren't so scared that thing would crack I'd probably set it.)

 

[T L]

Apatite is an inexpensive alternative to paraiba or other vivid blue stones, but it doesn't quite have that neon quality of the finest paraiba and it is a brittle gem.

 

[lilmosun]

TL - your apatite pieces are amazing in color.

theredspinel - that pendant is one of my favorite combos...so much so that I have the same in earrings

I wasn't looking for a cobalt spinel but when I saw one, my eye immediately went to straight to it despite being the smallest stone (just under 1/4 carat) in a huge display case. The color was that outrageous. I had to have it.

 

[Barrett]

Wow..mochico, that hauyne is sweet.