Last Thursday we had a visit from Aamir Khan our good friend and supplier of all things from Pakistan/Afghanistan.
Aamir is based in the UK and Pakistan and spends his equally between the 2 places.
As usual he arrived with all kinds of minerals from his last trip to Peshawar.
A couple of things from Badakshan really caught my eye this time.
Firstly were some very deep blue/purple sapphire crystals.
The crystals are small (15mm) and flat but the colour is very intense. There is hope that there will be more better examples, especially with Aamir's cutter in Peshawar.
Secondly was a single specimen of very well terminated gemmy dravite.
Dravite - Koksha Valley, Afghanistan
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The locality is Fargon Meeru, Kokcha Valley, Badakhshan
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The crystal shows short prismatic shaped with a first order rhombohedron {101} ; first order prism {010}; second order prism {110}; second order rhombohedron {021} and pinacoid {001}.
Thanks to Carles Curto Milà for this information.
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Carles also rightly pointed out that this material is not a "new discovery" - as he has a similar specimen collected in 1910. His piece has a muscovite matrix and several crystals present.
Size - 4.0 x 5.6 x 2.3cm - courtesy Carles Curto Milà
All in all both are interesting new or perhaps rediscoveries from this now politically inaccessible part of the World
