Afghanite
Afghanite is a rare mineral that is found in and named after Afghanistan. It is a bright blue mineral sometimes used as a gemstone.
Gem quality specimens are extremely rare.
Appearance, Uses and History
Afghanite is a bright blue mineral that often occurs alongside Sodalite, Lapis Lazuli, and Lazurite.
It is sometimes used as a gemstone, although this is rare as gem quality specimens are not easy to find. Its primary use is for mineral specimens.
Afghanite is highly fluorescent and is best displayed under UV light, where it glows a bright yellow or orange.
It was originally discovered in the Lapis-Lazuli mine, Sar-e-Sand, Badakhshan province, Afghanistan.
Locales
Originally found in Afghanistan, Afghanite has since been discovered in a few locations including Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, but Afghanistan is still by far the most productive locale.
Mineralogy
Photos of Afghanite
Hazards and Warnings
Almost all rocks, minerals (and, frankly, almost all other substances on earth) can produce toxic dust when cutting, which can cause serious respiratory conditions including silicosis.
When cutting or polishing rocks, minerals, shells, etc, all work should be done wet to minimise the dust, and a suitable respirator or extraction system should be used.
Translations
Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to translate very well.
Arabic:
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Bengali:
Indonesian:
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English:
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Japanese:
Spanish:
- Afghanita
German:
- Afghanit
Korean:
Thai:
Gujurati:
Mandarin and Traditional Chinese:
Urdu: