The GIA and the Gübelin Gem Lab have confirmed that Ethiopia is a new source of copper-bearing tourmaline that meets the widely accepted definition of paraiba tourmaline, according to a joint announcement issued Aug. 27.
A statement from the two laboratories said reports of copper-bearing tourmaline from Ethiopia began circulating earlier this year, prompting both laboratories to conduct independent investigations. Each organization analyzed separately acquired samples and compiled reference data before reaching the same conclusion regarding the material’s origin and classification.
GIA said it began examining material represented as originating from Ethiopia in June and later received a parcel containing more than 100 rough and faceted samples for study. The Gübelin Gem Lab reported that it first encountered the material in May when several stones displayed chemical characteristics that did not match its existing reference data from Brazil, Mozambique, or Nigeria.
The laboratories reported that material from the Ethiopian deposit is colored predominantly by copper and therefore falls within the accepted definition of paraiba tourmaline. According to the announcement, the material includes blue, bluish-green, violet, purple, and colorless rough specimens, and many stones show color zoning and compositional variation.
The discovery adds a fourth known source of paraiba tourmaline to the countries traditionally associated with the material. A 2019 article published in Gems & Gemology noted that copper-bearing paraiba tourmaline had previously been identified in Brazil, Nigeria, and Mozambique and that geographic origin can have a significant effect on value.
According to the joint announcement, both laboratories identified distinctive chemical characteristics in the Ethiopian material, including elevated concentrations of vanadium, lead, and gallium. The laboratories said those properties make the Ethiopian stones distinguishable from paraiba tourmalines from other origins and will assist with future geographic origin determinations.
GIA and the Gübelin Gem Lab said they will continue expanding their reference collections as more material from the Ethiopian deposit reaches the market. The organizations also said they plan to publish detailed findings from their independent studies in an upcoming issue of Gems & Gemology.
The JCK News Desk uses AI to help produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed and edited by staff writer David Blomquist.
(Top: Examples of the new paraiba tourmaline production from Ethiopia, including a 7.64 ct. faceted stone and an 8.7 ct rough stone. Courtesy of the Ferreira Group. Photo: Annie Haynes/GIA)
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