Paraiba Spinel
A laboratory-created spinel in the electric blue-green of Paraiba tourmaline — the color, the durability and the clarity, at a fraction of the cost of the natural stone.
About Paraiba Spinel
Natural Paraiba tourmaline is one of the most expensive colored gemstones on earth. Copper-bearing material from Brazil regularly passes ten thousand dollars a carat, and even the Mozambique and Nigerian finds that share the name sit well beyond most budgets. The color, though, is extraordinary, and clients ask for it constantly.
Laboratory-created spinel in that same neon blue-green closes the gap honestly. It is a real spinel — the same crystal structure and the same 8 on the Mohs scale as the natural mineral — grown under controlled conditions rather than pulled from the ground. It arrives clean, consistent, and available in matched pairs and calibrated sizes that natural Paraiba simply cannot supply.
Sharon labels this material as lab created every time it appears, on the piece and on the appraisal. It is not a natural Paraiba tourmaline and is never sold as one. What it is, is a durable, brilliantly colored stone that lets someone wear that color now instead of one day.
Why Sharon works with paraiba spinel
Sharon reaches for this material when a client loves Paraiba color and would rather put the budget into the goldsmithing than into the stone. Because it comes in reliable matched sizes it is particularly good for earrings and for suites where two or three pieces need to agree exactly.
Caring for paraiba spinel
Spinel at 8 on the Mohs scale is tough and easy to live with. Warm soapy water and a soft brush; it tolerates normal wear well.
Common questions about paraiba spinel
Is Paraiba spinel a natural gemstone?
No. The material Sharon uses is laboratory-created spinel, disclosed as such on every piece. It shares the chemistry, hardness and crystal structure of natural spinel but is grown in a lab rather than mined.
How is it different from natural Paraiba tourmaline?
Natural Paraiba is a copper-bearing tourmaline, extremely rare, and priced accordingly — often many thousands of dollars per carat. Lab-created spinel offers a comparable neon blue-green at a small fraction of the price, and is actually harder than tourmaline at 8 versus 7.5.
Will it hold its color?
Yes. The color is intrinsic to the crystal rather than a coating or a dye, and it will not fade with normal wear.
Paraiba Spinel jewelry by Sharon Teaman
Each piece is one of a kind and made by hand in State College, Pennsylvania.
PI 279 SS Round Para Iba Spinel Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$595
PI SS Para Iba Spinel (Lab created) Pendant in Sterling with Moissanite accents
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$590
Paraiba Checkerboard Spinel Earrings
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$495
PI 245 SS Para Iba Spinel Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$450
PI 220 SS Para Iba Spinel Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$445
PI 217 SS Para Iba Spinel Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$425
PI SS Para Iba Spinel (Lab Created) Oval Faceted Checkerboard Cut Crescent Pendant Sterling Silver
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$395
Paraiba Spinel Spiral Earrings
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$395
PI 195 SS Oval Para Iba Spinel Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$385
Paraiba Spinel Checkerboard Pendant
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$385
PI 509 SS Oval Para Iba Spinel Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$365
PI 186 SS Oval Para Iba Spinel Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$345
Paraiba Trillion Cut Checkerboard Earrings
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$270
PI Para Iba Spinel Studs Rectangular Cut 10 x 8mm (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$240
Paraiba Spinel Checkboard Squiggle Pendant
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$235
PI 269 SS Para Iba Spinel Oval Ring (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$225
PI SS Para Iba Spinel (Lab Created) Rectangle Faceted Checkerboard cut Crescent Pendant Sterling Silver
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$220
PI Para Iba Spinel Studs Cushion Cut 8x8mm (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$220
PI Para Iba Spinel Dangle Heart Cut 8x8mm (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$210
PI Para Iba Spinel Studs Rectangular Cut 8x6mm (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$185
PI Para Iba Spinel Stud Heart Cut 8x8mm (Lab created Caribbean Blue/Green)
Para Iba Spinel (Caribbean)$180
Paraiba Spinel pieces Sharon has made before
Sold, but a good indication of what is possible. Any of these can be a starting point for a commission.
Commission a paraiba spinel piece
Tell Sharon the color, the shape or the budget you have in mind. She sources paraiba spinel year round and will find the right stone before a single sketch is made.