Tourmaline paraiba is known to science not so long ago. It is impossible to meet him in the works of great jewelers of the past or read about him in old tales. However, for its short history, Paraiba stone managed not only to win the hearts of many connoisseurs of beauty, but also acquired its own legends.
Treasures of the Brazilian Hills
The first of them is associated with the day when a person first picked up a paraiba nugget. This happened in the early 80s of the twentieth century in a remote Brazilian province. A certain Aimas Barbosa arrived there with a company of like-minded people - the same dreamers as himself. They spent about five years in futile treasure hunts. But the seekers did not lose hope, and Barbosa himself unconditionally believed that his dream would ever come true. But the researcher could not see the result with his own eyes, not having lived quite a bit to a triumphant find.
However, his dream really came true. The reward for hard work and faith was the discovery of a unique tourmaline deposit, which had a deep blue tint, excellent strength, quite large size and amazing purity. Touribaline paraiba got its name due to the place in which it was first mined. The same name was called (and is still called) that same province in Brazil. Since then, it is believed that Paraiba empowers the holder with the ability to learn secrets and find the lost or hidden.
Chemical and physical properties of paraiba
Have you noticed that touribaline paraiba, the photo of which is presented in this article, seems luminous, luminescent? If you are lucky enough to see this stone live, you will see that this is exactly what it looks like. It is all about the physical features of the stone, thanks to which the gem refracts sunlight, amplifying it many times.
Paraiba tourmalines come in a variety of shades, from pale turquoise to deep green. Because of this, they are sometimes sometimes confused with more expensive and noble gems: sapphires, emeralds, colored diamonds. But in fairness it is worth noting that some paraiba specimens with perfect transparency and even color, really cost a lot of money. This is due to the fact that this stone is beautiful in its own way, and also is quite rare. It is not inferior in strength to many precious stones; you cannot call it fragile. But, for example, in terms of transparency, paraiba will give odds to emerald, which almost always contains impregnations and turbidity.
The magic effect of the stone
Astrologers claim that paraiba tourmaline is not a simple 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 stones of heavenly shades, including paraiba, provide the spiritual connection of the owner with higher powers. Often, jewelry with this unique stone is intuitively chosen by those who are in a spiritual search.
Hydrothermal stones
Today, scientists have learned to artificially create the conditions necessary for the formation of many precious and semiprecious stones. In the laboratory, the same processes occur as in the bowels of the mountain, however, the time for the growth of the nugget takes several times less, because the person controls the temperature, humidity and other processes. Grown laboratory and touribaline paraiba.
How to distinguish a fake when buying jewelry? Firstly, in the case of tourmalines, laboratory cultivation with Moveton is not considered. Hydrothermal paraibs are not inferior to natural stones in either beauty or quality. Their only difference in price. Of course, stones mined in natural deposits are many times more expensive. Yes, and are much less common. If you plan to buy a serial production jewelry, be sure that it has a hydrothermal stone. The labeling of goods in these cases contains the mark GT (or NT, if the description is given 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 unless in the dark. Remember: the main feature of this amazing stone is its strong refraction of the beam, creating the effect of radiance or even glow.
Jewelry value
Such a wonderful gem could not remain without the attention of those who make jewelry. In jewelry, it is customary to frame tourmalines in silver. But paraibu can be found even in platinum and 18 carat gold, and even in the company of more expensive gems. For example, Salma Hayek, whose ears were decorated with large drop-shaped earrings with paraiba tourmaline and diamonds, repeatedly fell into the lenses of the paparazzi.
By the way, Salma is far from the only celebrity who has paraiboy jewelry in her arsenal. Madonna owns an asymmetric large ring of amazing beauty, Sandra Bullock and Victoria Beckham were also repeatedly seen in jewelry with this stone.
Paraiba in the works of Lydia Kurtel
The world-famous French artist is called the guardian of the heritage of Rene Lalique. In her works, Lydia combines precious metals and the best gems that can only be found in the world. Paraiba tourmaline was not left without her attention. She used it to create a collection of jewelry dedicated to the inhabitants of the deep sea. The following illustration shows paraiba tourmaline, a ring created in a small workshop by Lydia Kurtel.
In this workshop, similar to a velvet-covered casket, you can meet not only the stars of the stage and cinema, but also famous designers. For example, Lagerfeld calls Lydia one of the best, so at many shows of his collections you can see her jewelry with paraiba and other tourmalines.
Careful care - the key to safety
If you have jewelry with this gem, do not forget to take care of them. Paraiba tourmaline has a fairly high hardness of 7.5 Mohs, but it can be damaged, for example, with a diamond or titanium. Do not store jewelry in a common heap, otherwise the stones will scratch each other.
The stone needs periodic cleaning. Just rinse the jewelry under running water, and if necessary, remove dirt with a brush. Water not only eliminates traces of dust and dust, but also cleans 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 impairs 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.