Description
Collectors say that minerals are the universe’s autobiography, written in atoms. In 1987, Heitor Dimas Barbosa started digging a hillside in Paraíba state, Brazil, convinced something extraordinary lay within. He was right. In 1989 the first neon-blue tourmalines emerged — copper-bearing, with a color so vivid it appeared internally lit. Nothing like it had been seen. A Paraíba tourmaline of fine quality per carat now rivals the finest emeralds and rubies.
This specimen originates from Batalha, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
