The 'Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba', at 191.87ct the world's largest cut Paraiba tourmaline, has been set into a one-of-a-kind necklace by Canadian jewellery house Kaufmann de Suisse.
Not only extraordinary in size but also flawless in colour and optical transparency, the modified brilliant-cut oval-shaped 'Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba' entered the Guinness World Records in 2009, more than tripling the previous world record for a cut Paraiba tourmaline. Part of the Planetary Collection held by Vincent Boucher, CEO of Billionaire Business Enterprises, Inc, the Canadian financier, physicist and artist chose Kaufmann de Suisse to create a handmade objet d'art in which to show off this unique gemstone.
The record-breaking gemstone displays the vivid neon bluish-green colour associated with the finest Paraiba tourmalines. Often compared to the colour of a tropical sea, it was the ocean that provided the inspiration for Moneca Kaufmann, President of Kaufmann de Suisse and the designer tasked with creating a suitably spectacular jewel in which to show off the 'Ethereal Carolina Divine Paraiba' to its best advantage.
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Moneca worked with Kaufmann de Suisse's master jeweller Patrick Gravelle over a period of six months to create the 'Paraiba Star of the Ocean Jewels' necklace. "My personal inspiration for the design was the result of living in Palm Beach, Florida, for the past few winters and becoming grateful for the beauty and majesty of the sea," she explains. "So much is going on beneath the surface of the waters, just as the formation of this incredible Paraiba tourmaline happened - quietly and below the surface of the earth. The neon-blue colour of the stone evoked the image of blue waters that comprise 70% of our little blue planet."
The necklace is a tribute to the world's oceans and its inhabitants and features lavishly gem-set octopus, turtles, crabs, starfish, stingrays and seahorses. The additional gemstones alone total 1,706, including a 10.73ct brilliant canary yellow diamond, but despite the profusion of pink, blue, yellow and orange sapphires, emerald, ruby, blue topaz, amethyst, tsavorite, rubellite garnet and diamonds, the eye is inevitably drawn to the electric 191.87ct Paraiba tourmaline, which eclipses them all.
Currently on show at the Kaufmann de Suisse boutique in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the 'Paraiba Star of the Ocean Jewels' necklace and its precious cargo will travel to the jeweller's sister boutique in Palm Beach, Florida, before it is sold in what is sure to be one of the most newsworthy auctions of 2014.
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