THE GEMSTONE LIBRARY

Paraiba Tourmaline (Mozambique)

Faceted tourmaline supplied as Paraiba Tourmaline from Mozambique for the September 2025 collection — Tourmaline supplied as Paraiba Tourmaline from Mozambique · Soul Body Gems, September 2025.

The Paraiba name began with vivid copper-bearing tourmaline from Brazil. Similar blue-to-green tourmaline is also found in Mozambique. This profile follows the faceted gem supplied to our September collection as Mozambican material, with its own provenance distinct from our Brazil page.

The name and the color

Paraiba is a gem trade name, not a separate mineral species or an automatic statement of Brazilian origin. In gemological usage, qualifying tourmaline can come from Brazil, Mozambique or Nigeria. Copper, together with manganese, is central to the characteristic vivid color range. A blue or green photograph alone cannot establish the presence of copper or whether a particular stone meets the laboratory criteria for this name.

Mozambique and origin

Gemological research documents copper-bearing tourmaline from Mozambique. The country of origin can matter to collectors, but the appearance of an individual stone does not securely separate Mozambican from Brazilian or Nigerian material. GIA uses quantitative trace-element analysis, including LA-ICP-MS and comparison with reference stones, for geographic-origin determinations; some results remain inconclusive. Our gem was supplied as material from Mozambique. We have not presented a specimen-specific laboratory determination of its copper content, geographic origin or treatment history.

Care for a faceted tourmaline

Tourmaline is about 7–7½ on the Mohs scratch-hardness scale, yet facet edges can still be damaged by sharp impacts. Clean with warm, soapy water and a soft brush. Avoid steam and ultrasonic cleaners, as well as sudden temperature changes; some tourmaline colors may also have been modified by heat or irradiation.

Sources

These sources describe the material and gemological methods generally; they are not laboratory reports for the photographed gem.

← Back to Gem Knowledge