Stone Type:Paraiba Topaz Approximate Stone Size:12x10mm Approximate Stone Weight:6 cts Jewelry Metal:Solid 925 Sterling Silver
Our Warranty:A full year on workmanship Our Guarantee:Totally unconditional 30 day guarantee
Well, back in 1989, a new color of tourmaline was discovered in the state of Paraiba, Brazil. A breathtaking neon blue/green/teal color, this rare gem was sold for as much as $5,000 per carat. It was rare, it was gorgeous, it was intense, and now, it's pretty much gone. There are small pockets of this color of tourmaline being mined still in Paraiba, and even Nigeria and Madagascar, but they're small, heavily occluded and pretty darned expensive.
So what is Paraiba Topaz? For starters, let me make it abundantly clear that this topaz is merely a look-alike of the Paraiba Tourmaline. The topaz is natural, in that it was mined from the ground, but it has been enhanced.
Back in the late '90's, early '00's, a small company in California was working on a method of treating Topaz to make it look like London Blue Topaz, but without the expense of having it treated at a nuclear reactor, etc... They would bake a chemical of some kind right into the skin of the topaz using extremely high heat and pressure. The problem was, the stones kept turning out too green. One bright soul observed it looked a lot like the Paraiba Tourmaline, and Voila!... a market was created for their "Too green for London Blue Topaz experiment". We are using the term "Paraiba" as a unique color descriptor, because no other term would describe the color nor relate to the natural stone better.
Since then, that company was sold to another one in Texas, and then later sold to one in Europe. Problem is, the European company must have bought the process to kill it, because they immediately pulled it off the market. I had been buying from the California guys, and then Texas. As the sale to Europe was taking palce, the Texas guys called me and gave me a killer offer on everything they had in stock. I couldn't gt it all, but I did get $20,000 worth. That was several years ago. As the supply of Paraiba Topaz in the general market dwindled, I seem to be one of the few people around that still have any.
I'm making this offer on eBay's Daily Deal because it'll expose this beautiful stone to a whole lot of people that might not otherwise get a chance to see it. (Ok, fine, getting the rest of that $20,000 back wouldn't hurt my feelings either!)
And finally, I want you to understand that I am fully aware that what is pretty to me will not necessarily be pretty to you. If, when you get this Paraiba Topaz pendant, you're not totally in love with it, just let us know, and send it it back for a full refund. There's no sense in you keeping a pendant that you're not going to wear. This is now a fairly rare stone, so let someone else get it who will love it and wear it.
Oh, one last thing... The colors of these stones vary slightly, and yours might be exactly like the one shown, but might be a little greener or a little bluer. If you have a strong preference one way or the other, tell us in the comment section of the checkout. Also, just to be safe, it wouldn't hurt to email us at the same time and tell us again.
This stone is set into a sturdy 4 prong basket. We cast our own mountings and will never use flimsy "snap tight" stuff... It allows the most show of stone for the least expense in silver. It's a good stable setting that doesn't set you back a month just to get one. We use a nice, thick structure (you don't want cheap stamped out stuff, now do you?) so that your jewelry will last and last. (Your daughter will love it when she inherits this from you.)
• 30 day unconditional guarantee
• 1 year warranty on workmanship
Our jewelry is handmade and usually ships within 3 business days.