There is “rare” and then there are “one-offs”. This Aeschynite was a true “one-off”.
Gem Note: Faceted Aeschynite-(Y) from Afghanistan, Journal of Gemmology 2024, Vol 39 (1): 6-7
Author: Charles Evans FGA DGA
More than 50 years have passed since the gemstone Aeschynite emerged from Afghanistan. Since then, no further examples have ever come to the market and that makes this a very unique and rare gemstone. It was certainly worth a closer look.
Jewelry Television, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, have an incredible and extensive reference collection of gemstones and minerals that support a well-staffed and equipped laboratory. This particular gemstone, Aeschynite, was secured in a ‘pig’. A “pig” is a lead-lined box designed to safely store minerals with radioactive signatures. Despite that, we decided to look more closely at this particular gemstone and the result was documented in the Gem Note below which featured in the prestigious Journal of Gemmology, Volume 39, No.1. Published in 2024.
The latest copies of the Journal of Gemmology are only available to Gem-A Members. To read archived copies dating back to 1947, click here.
