World’s Top Gem Labs Confirm Ethiopia Has Paraíba Tourmaline, One of Earth’s Rarest Gemstones

#EBR_News Aug 31, 2026

Ethiopia has been independently confirmed as a new source of paraíba tourmaline,one of the rarest and most commercially valuable gemstones in the world, by two of the global gemstone industry’s most authoritative laboratories, in a development that could open a significant new chapter for Ethiopia’s mining and gemstone export sector.

The Gemological Institute of America and the Gübelin Gem Lab of Switzerland announced their separate findings in a joint press release on August 27, 2026.

According to the press release, both laboratories independently examined copper-bearing tourmaline from a newly reported Ethiopian deposit and established, through separate scientific investigations using distinct reference samples and analytical protocols, that the material meets the widely accepted definition of paraíba tourmaline.

The confirmation makes Ethiopia only the fourth known geographic origin of paraíba tourmaline globally, alongside Brazil, where the stone was first discovered in the 1980s Mozambique, and Nigeria.

Paraíba tourmalines command exceptional prices in international gem markets, with top-quality specimens from established sources regularly fetching tens of thousands of dollars per carat due to their distinctive neon blue and blue-green colour caused by copper content.

Reports of copper-bearing tourmaline from Ethiopia began circulating in the gemstone trade earlier in 2026. The Gübelin Gem Lab said it first encountered the material in early May 2026, when several stones displayed an unusual chemical composition that did not match existing reference data from any known origin.

A senior Gübelin gemmologist subsequently travelled to Ethiopia to work with local dealers with direct access to the mining area, assembling approximately 300 rough and faceted stones for analysis. GIA began examining Ethiopian material in June 2026 and received a parcel of more than 100 rough and faceted samples from the Ferreira Group in July for detailed scientific investigation.

Both laboratories found that the Ethiopian material is chemically distinct from paraíba tourmaline of all other known origins and notably, identifiable without the need for research-grade laboratory equipment.

“What is most striking about the Ethiopian material is that despite considerable, complex chemical variation between individual samples, they share a remarkably distinct and coherent compositional signature,” said Peter Tollan, Head of Research and Development at the Gübelin Gem Lab.

GIA senior research manager Aaron Palke added that the institution can now confidently identify Ethiopia as an origin on its Tourmaline Identification and Origin Reports. The material encompasses blue to bluish green colours as well as violet, purple, and colourless specimens, with many stones displaying pronounced colour zoning.