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1000 Francs CFA Paraiba tourmaline
| Issuer | Gabon |
|---|---|
| Year | 2024 |
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| Composition | Gold (.9999) (with paraiba tourmaline inlay) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays an elaborate sunburst spiral motif engraved across the entire field, composed of finely detailed radiating curved lines that converge toward the centre in a dynamic, swirling guilloche-like pattern. A faceted Paraiba tourmaline gemstone of bluish-green hue is bezel-set at the centre, held in a raised circular collet mount. The interplay of the polished gold relief and the deeply engraved spiral lines creates a strong three-dimensional optical effect. The field is otherwise free of any legend or inscription. |
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| Additional information |
Paraiba tourmalines were first discovered in 1987 in the Brazilian state of that name by Heitor Dimas Barbosa, whose years of excavation yielded stones with a neon blue-green color produced by copper and manganese traces — a combination not previously documented in gem tourmalines. Demand immediately outpaced supply so severely that prices reached tens of thousands of dollars per carat for clean specimens.
Gabon's use of the stone in a one-gram bullion issue is a purely commercial licensing arrangement, common among smaller francophone African states working with European private mints to generate collector revenue outside the CFA franc's standard monetary framework.