Afghanite is a very rare hydrous sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, sulfate, carbonate alumino-silicate mineral; a very complex mineral with an even more unusual crystal structure. It can occur in long prismatic crystals, double-terminated as bi-pyramidal crystals, or as crusts coating a matrix. Color ranges from light sky blue to a dark navy, but can also be colorless & transparent. Afghanite was first discovered in 1968 by R. Giraud, F. Cesbron, & P. Bariand. Named after the country in which it was found, it can be traced to the Badakhshan region in northeastern Afghanistan. Badakhshan is one of the world's poorest, most remote corners, nestled in the Hindu Kush Mountains, bordering Tajikistan & Pakistan. The region’s one claim to fame is the mining of lapis lazuli, a beautiful blue stone favored by ancient Egyptian & Roman civilizations.
Afghanite was discovered in a lapis lazuli mine but has since been found with Sodalite family minerals, such as Hackmanite and Lazurite. Chemically, it’s very similar to Lazurite & gets its color from the same elements & components.
Since it’s a fairly recent discovery, there’s still much to be learned about it. It has garnered little folklore since being unearthed just over 50 years ago.
Many believe that the Afghanistan specimens were actually a re-discovery. They claim that Afghanite was originally collected from the Mount Vesuvius region of Southern Italy over a century earlier, around 1910. Then, it was named natrodavyne. However, it was then allegedly lost until being recently re-identified in Afghanistan.
