Paraíba Tourmalines Headline Phillips' $4.1 Million New York Jewels Sale
Phillips' New York Jewels auction on June 10, 2026 brought in a total of $4.1 million across 113 lots, with 95% of lots finding buyers and 82% of those selling within or above their estimates. Five Paraíba tourmalines ranked among the sale's most closely watched offerings.
The auction's projected top lot — a platinum and 18-karat yellow gold ring centered on a 31.77-carat oval Paraíba tourmaline from Mozambique, accented by marquise-cut diamonds and circular-cut blue tourmalines, estimated at $550,000–$650,000 — ultimately went unsold, one of only a handful of lots that didn't find a buyer.
Elsewhere, the results were stronger. A white gold ring set with a 9.30-carat pear-shaped Paraíba tourmaline from Mozambique, flanked by shield-shaped diamonds, sold for $129,000, surpassing its estimate. A pendant necklace featuring a 5.86-carat pear-shaped Paraíba tourmaline of Brazilian origin sold for $167,700, below estimate — in all, four of the five Paraíba lots offered found buyers.
Phillips' head of jewels for New York, Dianne Batista, said jointly with colleague Cristina Rodrigo that "both of these highly esteemed collections doubled their pre-sale estimates, further reinforcing the strength of the market and the continued confidence in jewels from private collections" — a reminder that even with one high-profile Paraíba lot going unsold, demand for fine colored stones at auction remains robust.
As the article's own framing put it, the rarest and most valuable Paraíba tourmalines remain those mined in Brazil, which today are found primarily in museums and private collections rather than on the open market.
Browse our tourmaline collection.
Sources:
Forbes (Anthony DeMarco), June 11, 2026.
Phillips – Official New York Jewels auction catalog and results.
Gemological Institute of America – Information on Paraíba tourmaline, its discovery, origin, and gemological properties.
International Gem Society – Background information on Paraíba tourmalines.
Mindat.org – Mineral locality information.
Written by Nic Scogna, a photographer and mineral collector based in Lexington, Kentucky, and the founder of Crystal Earth Gallery and Kyanite King Minerals. For over 25 years, he has traveled to mineral localities across the U.S. — from Maine to California — personally sourcing the specimens, gemstones, and photographic subjects featured here. When not out in the field, Nic writes about mineralogy, collecting, and the craft of turning raw stone into wearable art.