
The Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba
In the case of this legendary tourmaline, I uncovered two delicious stories. First of all, the discovery of the world's largest paraiba tourmaline. Secondly, the creation of one of the most exquisite Canadian jewels. Said necklace serves as the backdrop for this important natural treasure. Originally discovered in 1987, in the Batalha mine in Paraiba, Brazil, this magnificent and ethereal stone belongs to a special class of tourmaline. According to the legendary stone's owner, Vincent Boucher, paraiba tourmaline forms only on earth. These unusually colored tourmalines also appear in Paraiba's neighboring state, Rio Grande do Norte, as well as in a few sites in Africa. And that's it! In May of 2009, Mr. Boucher acquired the exquisite stone for an undisclosed price. Weighing 191.87 carats, the Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba possesses flawless neon blue color with optical transparency. Cut in a modified brilliant oval, the stone holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest cut paraiba tourmaline in the world. Mr. Boucher, founder and CEO of the Canadian company, Billionaire Business Enterprises, Inc., named the stone after a research project he conducted related to the stone. He considers it part of his firm's Planetary Collection of gemstones, a collection he hopes will one day surpass all other colored gemstone collections in the world.The 'Paraiba Star of the Ocean Jewels' Necklace
This brings us to our second delicious story. In early 2013, Vincent Boucher approached Moneca Kauffman. She owns the Canadian jewelry company Kauffman de Suisse. Mr. Boucher asked Ms. Kauffman to design a handmade objet d'art to showcase the beautiful ocean blue paraiba. For six months, Moneca worked closely with master jeweler Patrick Gravelle to realize her vision for the stone. The end result, an extravagant necklace featuring 1,706 brightly colored gemstones. For inspiration, Moneca turned to the sea. "The brilliant blue-green color of the stone is symbolic of our little blue planet, 70% covered by oceans, whose health is inextricably linked with our own," she writes. (source) With this in mind, Moneca hopes the necklace inspires people to consider our interdependence with the oceans. To emphasize this interdependence, Moneca suspended the Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba beneath a 10.73-carat yellow diamond. The yellow diamond represents the inner light radiating from within us all. It also symbolizes the golden yellow sun which gives light to all life on planet earth. Both the sun and the earth support all of life, represented by the sea creatures which form the remainder of the necklace. Turtles, stingrays, seahorses, an octopus, and starfish take shelter upon the white and yellow gold coral branches the comprise the necklace. Each hand-sculpted animal shimmers with pink, yellow, blue, and orange sapphires, as well as emeralds, rubies, blue topaz, amethysts, diamonds, and tsavorite and rubellite garnets. The myriad colors represent the diversity of nature, while the overall design calls to mind the importance of unity in order for life to flourish.Where is the Necklace Today?
Finally, Kauffman de Suisse unveiled the necklace on October 18, 2013. Consequently, a flurry of news articles followed, with announcement of an upcoming 2014 auction. In April of 2014, the BaselWorld team offered visitors the opportunity to view the necklace by appointment only, from March 27 through April 3, 2014. In an article published in April, iDiva reported the necklace would likely be sold at auction by the end of that year. (source) After that, radio silence. Not another word about the necklace or the Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba surfaced. So I reached out to both Kauffman de Suisse and Billionaire Business Enterprises, Inc. On October 27, 2019, the staff at Billionaire Business Enterprises returned my message. They informed me that the planned 2014 auction was canceled. They wrote, "The Guinness World Records Largest Cut Paraiba Tourmaline (191.87 carat flawless gem) is still 100% owned by Vincent Boucher, CEO at Billionaire Business Enterprises Inc." I so appreciate this confirmation from their staff. It feels so good to follow a trail to its complete end, at least for now. I look forward to keeping tabs on this gorgeous necklace. ~Angela Magnotti Andrews2019-10-29 21:52:18
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