An 8.31-carat Paraiba tourmaline with a starting bid of $1 realized $18,625 at a recent live Gem Portal auction.
The Mozambique-mined greenish-blue gemstone attracted 72 bidders at the October 14 sale at Gem Rock Auctions, The Gem Portal said last week.
The highest price achieved previously for a Paraiba tourmaline on the auction platform was about $10,000. Fine untreated Mozambique gemstones weighing more than 8 carats are rare, and comparable stones have traded for around $60,000, Gem Rock Auctions’ chief operating officer, Ross Sedawie, told Rapaport News. However, as the stone did not have a reserve price, bidders determined its final price during the live sale.
Bangkok-based gemstone dealer The Gem Portal sources high-quality colored stones for sale through its store on the Gem Rock Auctions’ marketplace.
Image: The 8.31-carat Paraiba tourmaline. (The Gem Portal)
