Spodumene

specimen number:
2063155

location:
Mawi, Nilaw-Kolum, Nuristan, Afghanistan

description:
A beautiful pink glassy gemmy sharply terminated crystal of spodumene, this is the variety often called kunzite. In super condition.

The Mawi mine within the Nilaw-Kolum pegmatite field of Nuristan, Afghanistan, is world-renowned for its rugged mountainous terrain hosting complex lithium-bearing granite pegmatite dikes. Geologically formed during tectonic events that concentrated rare elements, these coarse-grained veins contain large cavernous pockets lined with cleavelandite and quartz where exceptional gem crystals develop. Mining operations began in earnest during the early 1970s, transforming the region into a premier global source for massive, highly transparent crystal specimens of kunzite, which is the prized pink to lilac gem variety of spodumene. Local miners extract these fragile, highly cleavable crystals from deep pockets by hand, supplying collectors and museums worldwide with some of the largest and most vividly colored gem material ever discovered.

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