Afghanite (very rare)

Item Description

Afghanite is almost never seen in transparent examples. It's an incredibly rare collectors gem, only found in one place in the world in facet grade examples. Afghanite as a species has been found in a handful of localities around the world, but only a TINY percentage of the material from Afghanistan is suitable for cutting stones. The material from Ladjuar Medam forms in the same area where the famous Lazurite has been mined for centuries. Afghanite is found in dark blue and white crystals, which are typically opaque or barely translucent, but recently (2018) a NEW discovery was made of superb quality gem material. This stone is one of the better examples of faceted gem grade Afghanite that we've had to offer in the auctions. It has a "Brilliant Oval" cut with some visible inclusions, and a light sky blue color. This stone along with several others from the recent mining efforts have been analyzed and confirmed as Afghanite by several laboratories around the world. If you collect rarities, this is a great opportunity to not only pick up something that's rare, but also incredibly beautiful and colorful. One rarely sees Afghanite stones on the market these, and considering there is only one locality for gem material in the world, you won't see them very often, especially in this quality.