In Boghossian’s Palace Voyages collection, inspired by the palaces of the Silk Road, there is a stunning suite of necklaces and earrings of electrifying turquoise-coloured Paraiba tourmalines that draws inspiration from the 18th-century gardens of Taman Sari in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is an exceptional masterpiece with the large pear-shaped Paraibas from Mozambique and cabochons from Brazil, which took the Swiss jeweller years to collect.
In London, David Morris has presented two high jewellery collections this year, Skye and Mystic Cove, to express the chief executive and creative director Jeremy Morris’s passion for this extraordinary gemstone, which in recent years has become synonymous with the brand. His Starburst cuff from the Skye collection features 59 carats of neon turquoise Paraiba stones, while the Mystic Cove collection, features cocktail rings and necklaces with lagoon-blue Paraibas paired with diamonds.
“One of the first qualities I look for in a gemstone is the intensity of its colour, and Paraiba tourmalines truly embody that,” says Morris. “Their unique turquoise blue-green hue, paired with an unmatched vividness, sets them apart from any other gemstone.”
The history of this rare stone is documented in Paraiba: The Legacy of a Colour, written by Kevin Ferreira, a gemmologist and specialist in this specific tourmaline through his family’s involvement in mining the gem in Brazil and Africa, as well as jewellery journalist and influencer Katerina Perez.
They chart how the mesmerising beauty of the Paraiba has made it the rising star of the gem world. It is rare for new gemstones to be discovered. In the 20th century, kunzite, tanzanite and Paraiba tourmalines are the noted few, but the scarcity, vibrant colour and ever-increasing demand for the Paraiba has caused its value to rise incredibly quickly.
The tourmaline’s name is derived from the Brazilian state of Paraiba, where small deposits were discovered in the late 1980s. Its vivacious colour is a result of trace elements of copper and manganese that cannot be replicated by any other mineral species.
Highly prized for its lagoon blue colour rather than its clarity, demand for the stone sent prices escalating to $2,000 per carat at gem shows around the world when it was introduced in the late 1980s, and by 1998, prices were $50,000 per carat because so few could be found.
Concurrently, in Mozambique and Nigeria in Africa, similar tourmalines were being unearthed, generally larger, clean and neon coloured, but not of the same intensity of hue as those from Paraiba.
“African Paraibas are equally stunning, but they possess distinct qualities that set them apart from the Brazilian stones,” explains Morris. “Brazilian Paraibas often have more inclusions and tend to display a more electric blue hue, though they are typically smaller in size. African Paraibas can present a softer, washed-out blue-green colour and usually have fewer inclusions.”
The discovery of a new gemstone excites jewellers around the world, and in the past 10 years designers have become fascinated by the Paraiba, with Chopard, Bvlgari, Moussaieff and Pomellato among those championing the stones in their high jewellery collections.
“New precious materials create excitement for designers, because working with unconventional metals or gems allows them to broaden their creative horizons, try something different and have an opportunity to experiment,” says Perez. “Paraiba allows jewellers to come up with new colour combinations and play on contrasts, mix materials in unconventional ways and explore Paraiba’s beauty in its faceted, cabochon, carved and even rough form.” More importantly, Perez explains, “this gem is so rare that every jewel embellished with a high-quality Paraiba tourmaline is unique and can never be repeated”.
Their reception in the Middle East was initially greeted with some scepticism “as there was little awareness about the stone”, says Morris. “Over time, however, as these gems have become more fashionable, our clients have begun to recognise their beauty and rarity. With a growing understanding of how scarce they are, we’ve seen a noticeable surge in demand and desirability among our Middle Eastern clientele,” he adds.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
