Tourmaline paraiba: properties of stone and photo

Tourmaline Paraiba is known to science not so long ago. It can not be found in the works of the great jewelers of the past or read about it in old tales. However, for its short history, the Paraib's stone managed not only to win the hearts of many connoisseurs of beauty, but also to acquire its own legends.

Treasures of the Brazilian Hills

The first of them is related to the day when the person first picked up the nugget paraiba. This happened in the early 80s of the twentieth century in a remote Brazilian province. Someone Eimas Barbosa came there with a company of like-minded people - the same dreamers as himself. They spent about five years in an ineffective search for treasure. But the searchers did not lose hope, and he himself unreservedly believed that his dream would ever come true. But the researcher could not see the result with his own eyes, he did not live very long before the triumphal find.

However, his dream really came true. The reward for hard work and faith was the discovery of a deposit of unique tourmalines that had a deep blue tint, excellent strength, fairly large size and striking cleanliness. Tourmaline paraib got its name due to the place in which it was first mined. The same name was (and is now called) the same province in Brazil. Since then, it is believed that the paraib gives the possessor the ability to recognize secrets and find the lost or hidden.

Chemical and physical properties of paraiba

Have you noticed that the tourmaline paraib, the photo of which is presented in this article, seems luminous, luminescent? If you are lucky enough to see this stone live, you will be convinced that this is how it looks. It's all about the physical characteristics of the stone, thanks to which the gem refracts the sunlight, reinforcing it repeatedly.

Tourmaliny paraib come in different shades, from gently-turquoise to a saturated green. Because of this they are even sometimes confused with more expensive and noble gems: sapphires, emeralds, colored diamonds. But it's fair to say that some samples of paraiba that have perfect transparency and even color really cost a lot of money. It is due to the fact that this stone is beautiful in its own way, and besides it is quite rare. He is not inferior in strength to many precious stones, fragile it can not be called. But, for example, in terms of transparency, the paraib will give a head start to the emerald, which almost always contains inclusions and muddies.

Magic action of a stone

Astrologers claim that tourmaline paraiba is a difficult stone. He gives the owner not only the ability to recognize the hidden, but also courage, honesty, confidence in achieving goals.

It is believed that stones of red-brown shades, close to the colors of the Earth, are responsible for health and physical strength. And the stones of heavenly shades, including paraiba, provide the spiritual connection of the owner with the higher powers. Often jewelry with this unique stone is intuitively chosen by those who are in spiritual search.

Hydrothermal stones

Today, scientists have learned to artificially create the conditions necessary for the formation of many precious and semiprecious stones. The same processes occur in the laboratory as in the depths of the mountain, however, the time to grow a nugget is several times less, because the temperature, humidity and other processes are controlled by a person. Laboratory and tourmaline paraiba is grown.

How to distinguish a fake when buying jewelry? First, in the case of tourmaline, laboratory cultivation with mauveton is not considered. Hydrothermal paraibes are not inferior to natural stones, neither in beauty, nor in quality. Their only difference in price. Of course, the stones extracted in natural deposits are several times more expensive. Yes, and are much less common. If you are planning to buy a serial production decoration, be sure - it has a hydrothermal stone. The marking of the goods in these cases contains a mark of GT (or NT, if the description is in English).

But some unscrupulous jewelers call paraiba crystals that have absolutely nothing to do with tourmalines. Glass and plastic can be confused with this stone except in the dark. Remember: the main feature of this amazing stone is the strong refraction of the beam, creating the effect of radiance or even glow.

Jewelry value

Could not such a wonderful gem be left without attention of those who make jewelry. In the jewelry business, it is customary to frame tourmaline in silver. But paraiba can be found even in platinum and 18-carat gold, and even in the company of more expensive gemstones. For example, in the lenses of the paparazzi, Salma Hayek, whose ears were adorned with large drop-shaped earrings with tourmaline paraiba and diamonds, often got into the paparazzi's lenses.

By the way, Salma - not the only celebrity, in the arsenal of which there are decorations with paraiba. Madonna owns an asymmetric large ring of amazing beauty, Sandra Bullock and Victoria Beckham have also been seen in jewelry with this stone.

Paraiba in the works of Lydia Kurtel

Famous for the whole world the French artist is called the keeper of the heritage of René Lalique. In his works Lydia combines noble metals and the best gems that can only be found in the world. Did not remain without her attention and tourmaline paraiba. She used it to create a collection of jewelry dedicated to the inhabitants of the sea depths. The following illustration shows the tourmaline paraiba, the ring was created in a small workshop of Lydia Kurtel.

In this workshop, similar to a velvet-wrapped casket, you can meet not only the stars of the stage and the cinema, but also the famous designers. For example, Lagerfeld calls Lydia one of the best, so at many shows of his collections one can see her ornaments with paraiba and other tourmalines.

Careful care is the guarantee of safety

If you have jewelry with this gem, do not forget to take care of them. Tourmaline paraib has a rather high hardness - 7.5 on Mohs, but it can be damaged, for example, by a diamond or titanium. Do not store jewelry in a common heap, otherwise the stones will scratch each other.

The stone needs periodic cleaning. Simply flush decorations under running water, and if necessary, remove dirt with a brush. Water not only eliminates traces of oil and dust, but also purifies the energy of the gem. But with fire it is better not to joke, as well as with the sun's rays. Prolonged contact with light deteriorates the color of the stone, and heating can make it cloudy.

Following these simple recommendations, you will significantly extend the life of jewelry with a beautiful paraiba for many years to come.