Afghanite (rare)

Item Description

Afghanite is a rare mineral, only found in once place in the world in fine crystals of any substance/size. This particular piece comes from Ladjuar Medam, Afghanistan, very close the area of the classic Lapis/Lazurite mines. It is notably rare to find in fine quality display specimens of this material, and the only significant pieces are those from Afghanistan. Afghanite is a rare complex alumosilicate, and one of the more obscure members of the Cancrinite group. This specimen hosts a few sharp, well-formed, hexagonal crystals of Afghanite measuring up to 3.1 cm on massive Calcite matrix. When backlit, the crystals show a bit of translucency. On the surface, the color varies from a rich Sapphire blue shade to a lighter medium blue. The crystals are in good shape, and the only roughness is on the periphery where the piece was removed from the pocket wall. A good display specimen of a species that is only found in good sized specimens from one part of the world. Valued $950.