About Us
Gemstone Specialists
We are the ultimate specialists in fine quality gemstones. We travel directly to the source and cherry pick only the finest specimens and import them right to our headquarters in the heart of New York City. Our travels include countries such as Brazil, Mozambique, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, just to name a few. Our gemstones are all cut with extreme precision either at the source, or in New York by our expert cutter.
Our staff gemologist analyze and guarantee each of our gemstones. All of our gemstones are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Each member of our staff is extremely professional, knowledgable, and experienced in the field of gemology. We will walk you every step of the way from purchasing your ideal gemstone to designing the right piece of jewelry for your gemstone.
Enjoy the rarity and beauty of our gemstone and jewelry inventory. We pride ourselves on being a one-of-a-kind.
For more information about gemstones, please visit our Gemstone Buying Guide by here.
Our 50 Year History
Paraiba International has a long and storied history. We are not a start-up internet company.
Our founder immigrated to the United States in 1960. He was originally born in Afghanistan, and that's where his passion for gemstones began. When he ultimately arrived in the United States, he settled in New York and quickly saw that the gemstone trade was a lucrative business. That was a great discovery because he now had the opportunity to do something that he loved to do, which was to be around gemstones and provide a living for his family.
The business originally began as a wholesale, and our founder started his career by going door-to-door within the jewelry trade in New York peddling gemstones. With his growing reputation as a fine gemstone dealer, he began selling to the finest stores who have the strictest of buying standards. He was traveling overseas almost every month. Keeping up with the demand was very challenging.
After several years of growing the business, his son entered the business to help keep up with the demand. The father/son duo worked extremely well. During the 1980's they began selling all varieties of gemstones and became specialists in both precious and semiprecious gemstones, a rare dual speciality within the jewelry and gemstone trade.
Launch of Paraiba International, 2005
Enter the 3rd generation. What originally began as a door-to-door operation, the grandson had a new vision for the gemstone business. Rather than selling to the retail stores, he had a real passion for connecting with the end consumer, the ultimate wearer, investor of the jewelry.
What began as an ebay store quickly evolved into Paraiba International, online store for exquisite gemstones and jewels. On the very first day of operation, a Tanzanite was sold to the United Kingdom, and we knew that we were onto something special. A whole new way of connecting gemstones and consumers had been born, and we were selling gemstones all around the world. We've sold to all 50 states and over 40 countries and counting.
Shortly after launching, we started offering jewelry design services and custom manufacturing. Over our history, the manufacturing industry evolved tremendously and what used to be a sketch with a pen and paper is now CAD (computer-aided-design) and virtual images of the jewelry before production. Our partnering team of CAD designers, manufacturers, and setters are among the best in the world, and all of our jewelry is made right here in the USA.