Education
Paraiba Tourmaline: Why That Neon Blue Costs So Much
Paraiba tourmaline is the only gemstone whose colour is named after a place and instantly recognisable: an electric blue-green that appears to glow from within.
What causes it
Copper and manganese trace elements produce the neon glow. Natural paraiba comes from Brazil (and, more recently, Mozambique and Nigeria), and top-quality stones frequently sell for more per carat than diamond.
Why lab-grown changes the equation
The colour is the point of paraiba — and colour can be grown. Lab-grown paraiba delivers the same electric blue-green with cleaner clarity, at a small fraction of natural prices, which makes a full parure affordable rather than a once-in-a-lifetime purchase.
Durability
Tourmaline is 7–7.5 on the Mohs scale. That is fine for pendants, earrings and occasional-wear rings, but for a ring worn daily choose a protective bezel setting — see our settings guide.
What to check
- Even saturation with no colour zoning (patchy areas)
- Eye-clean clarity — paraiba is usually included naturally
- A GRA certificate and a stated measurement in millimetres
Written By
Holycome Team
Gemologists and setters at our own workshop. We have been cutting moissanite and lab grown stones since 2013.
