Buying Gemstones in Afghanistan?

OK, I am getting a lot of emails (100's) from mostly military people that are stationed in Afghanistan or at least in the general region.

So I am going to write this article as a thank you and hopefully to help people over there out.

First here is some advice that I know most people will probably not listen too. But...

If you are buying gemstones anywhere (Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, where ever...) and have no experience with the business of gemstones. As the saying goes... " There is a sucker born every minute." Keep it in mind.

There are all types of scams and scammers in gemstones, especially around the mines where they are found in ANY country. There are usually more scams around the mine than any where else. However that does not mean you cannot be cheated in a well known store or trading area. Buying and selling Gem stones is an "everything goes" type of business. So be aware of what you are getting into and realize that there is a lot of things going on you may not know about.

Remember that... "No, in most cases the miner or seller is NOT your best buddy." If you remember anything, remember that to most of these people (in 3rd world countries, but every where in the gem stones business) you are an (often a rich) out sider to them, their country, and their culture. In other words you are big, fat, stupid, and fair game by their reasoning.

Also remember that the theory of fair play and morals is pretty much a western (USA) thing in business and that in most other countries ANYTHING is acceptable business. In other words they will screw you right to the nearest wall with out a second thought. That is just business to them.

Yes, there are some honest people, but remember honest has different definitions in different cultures. In the USA honest means disclosing problems and issues, in most other countries honest means how ever the deal is made and "buyer beware". In other words, you as the buyer, have to be knowledgeable and smart enough to ask the right questions of the seller. Some dealers are honest enough to answer you correctly and some are not. But no information will be volunteered, especially if it might be negative.

If you want to play, fine, but realize what you are getting into. Do not take peoples word for things, check and find out. Send samples away to quality labs like GIA (Gem Institute of America) and have them checked in a reliable lab. If you are not sure of the stones, seal the parcel in a bag so it cannot be opened and send a piece off to be checked, hold the sealed bag until you get the lab results, then make the deal. Yes, it will take some time, but you will be a lot safer. This is also a common practice in the gemstone business so if the person selling does not want to wait or have it tested that should tell you some thing.

Note: Always test gemstones validly. By this I mean with tried and true gemstone testing methods. Refractometer, Spectrometer, Dichroscope, Microscope, specific gravity liquids. Do NOT test using some gadget that supposedly tells you the type (electrically, or some other way). These gadgets do not work in my opinion. Use real labs and real testing methods. Learn how.

Buying gemstones, especially rough is an "experts game". It takes a life time to become an expert and there are only a few people that truly know what they are looking at in all types of rough gemstones. The average person is going to get screwed if they are not very careful. Be very careful, and cautious...

What do I recommend?

Well there are some gemstones that are very difficult to buy and some that are easier to buy. There are many reasons for this, some types of gemstones both in cut and rough tend to attract more fraud than others. Some gemstones have man-made counter parts that are very typically "salted" in rough and cut at the mines. Some gemstones do not have a man-made counter part, so it is very unlikely for them to be faked at the mines or in local trading areas.

Gem stones I would recommend buying (especially for an inexperienced buyer).

Tourmaline - This is an excellent choice and would probably be my personal number one choice.
There is no man-made material in existence, so the odds of substitutes is very low.
Tourmaline has a wide ranging market and is known world wide. It is commonly bought and sold.
The crystal shapes are very distinctive and easy to spot, even for a novice. Once the beginners takes some time to learn a little bit about what to look for.
Tourmaline is fairly easy to check for clarity with a 10x loupe. Clean material is reasonably available, and can be found.
Pricing starts very reasonably, but can get very expensive depending on the color and type.
What you want to buy - You want clean material, do not bother with included pieces unless the included area(s) will cut off easily. Size wise, you want nothing smaller than 1 gram (5 carats) rough. The colors available range to about any color there is. Look to buy bubble gum pinks, mint greens, blue greens, blues in particular, reds, purples, basically any pretty color. You want light to medium colored stones. Stay away from dark martial. Read my "White Paper Test" article.

Beryl - Beryl is a gem family and with in the family of "Beryl" there are several types, or basically colors to choose from.

Aquamarine - Blue to blue/green Beryl.
There is no man-made material, at least common for Aquamarine, so the odds of substitutes is very low.
Aquamarine has a wide ranging market and is known world wide. It is commonly bought and sold.
The crystal shapes are very distinctive and easy to spot, even for a novice. Once the beginners takes some time to learn a little bit.
Aquamarine is fairly easy to check for clarity with a 10x loupe. Clean material is fairly available, and can be found.
Pricing starts very reasonably, but can get very expensive depending on the color and type.
What you want to buy - You want clean material, do not bother with included pieces unless the included area(s) will cut off easily. The color of blue ranges from blue/green to blue and from light to darker, Afghan material is seldom the top dark blue color found in other countries, but some of it is a nice blue. Look to buy the cleanest, best dark color you can. Blue in the trade is considered better, but I personally like any blue to to blue/green material. Larger stones are best.

Morganite - Pink to peach Beryl.
There is no man-made material in existence, so the odds of substitutes is very low. However, pink glass is some times substituted.
Morganite has a wide ranging market and is known world wide. It is commonly bought and sold.
The crystal shapes are very distinctive and easy to spot, even for a novice. Once the beginners takes some time to learn a little bit.
Morganite is fairly easy to check for clarity with a 10x loupe. Clean material is fairly available, and can be found.
Pricing starts very reasonably, but can get very expensive depending on the color.
What you want to buy - You want clean material, do not bother with included pieces unless the included area(s) will cut off easily. The colors of Morganite range from pink to peach and from light to darker, Afghan material is seldom the top dark pink color found in other countries, but some of it is a nice pink. Look to buy the cleanest, best dark color you can. Pink in the trade is considered better. Larger stones are best.

Other Beryl - There are some other colors of Beryl, like gold, yellow, clear, but in general they do not have much of a market and while worth considering if large, clean, and well (low) priced, these colors would be more difficult to sell.

Gem stones I do NOT recommend buying (especially for an inexperienced buyer).

Emerald - Green Beryl.
There are several types of man-made Emerald that is very typically sold as real through out both the mining areas and the trade. Emeralds are frequently switched and faked. It takes an expert with the proper tools to tell real from fake or man-made.
Emerald has a large market, but it is definitely not a stone that a novice should even consider buying. Avoid Emeralds like the plague. Emeralds are typically included, treated, faked, and just garbage.

Emeralds are one of the most scammed and dishonestly sold gemstones in the world (in my opinion). The main reason is of course is that quality Emeralds, which are extremely rare, are one of the most valuable gem stones. The value or perceived value of Emeralds have parted many, many, people from their hard earned money and the buyer almost always ends up scammed or with basically junk stones.

You do NOT want to buy any Emeralds unless you are an expert or have the advice of an expert. Emeralds are one of the most commonly scammed/faked gem stones that exists. My advice... Do not buy Emeralds.

Sapphires and Ruby
There is very little Sapphire or Ruby found in the Afghan area and the odds are, of you a novice buyer being scammed buying them are almost 100%. Stay away from buying Sapphire or Ruby unless you have a microscope and expert advice.

Spinels
There is a little bit of pink to red Spinel found in the region. Again buying it takes an expert and a microscope. In general my advice is to NOT buy it. Also there is not much of a commercial market for them.

Topaz
There is a lot of Topaz mined in the area. But generally the Topaz market is not all that good so it is not a wise investment. Do NOT buy it. Also Topaz takes a real expert to buy because it is typically not clean (lots of flaws) and many of the mines and types while pretty when first mined, will fade. The colors of many if not almost all Topaz found in the region is not color stable. When exposed to UV light (sunlight) the colors will fade to white/clear. Basically become worthless.

Kunzite
There is a lot of Kunzite mined in the area. But generally the Kunzite market is not all that good so it is not a wise investment. Do NOT buy it. Also Kunzite takes a real expert to buy because it is typically not clean (lots of flaws, soft, and has serious cleavage) and will fade. The colors of all Kunzite is not color stable. When exposed to UV light (sunlight) the colors will fade to white/clear. Basically becomes worthless.

Here is some last advice...

Do not get "buyers fever" look on my website and others. See what the going rates and cost of quality gemstone materials are here in the states. Remember that just because you are in a mining area does not mean you will get either quality material or good prices.

Look at the pictures and familiarize yourself with what the stones look like.

LEARN some thing about gemstones before buying anything. Yes, I know it takes a life time to become an real expert. But there are some good books that have quality pictures and information in them that will really help a novice out. Buying a few hundred dollars of books and reading them is a small investment that will (I promise) save you a lot of money. Do it before buying anything.

Here is a good starting place. There are many other books that I have not listed but these three are a very good start.

Gemstones of the World by Walter Schumann
This is a nice hardback book, and while it does not go into great depth, it has a wealth of good information as well as good colored pictures on stone types and mineralogical information. This is one of my personal favorites, I use it a lot. I highly recommend it...

Price $24.50

 

 

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Gemstones and Precious Stones - Kennie Lyman
This book has good detail and nice color pictures of almost all of the commercially available gemstones. I highly recommend it...

Price $16.00

 

 

 

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Gemstones and Precious Stones - Sterling
This a good book to have good detail and lots of nice color pictures of almost all of the commercially available gemstones. I highly recommend it...

Price $19.95

 

 

 

AFTER having at least done some reading and studying, if you have to (or want to) buy gemstones... I wish you luck. If I can be of help drop me an email. I am glad to help service people. But remember this is an experts game, and while you may find a deal, the odds are not with you. I hope this article will help.

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