Beryl from Deo Darrah, Kuran wa Munjan District, Badakhshan, Afghanistan

About this mineral, people argued whether it's vorobyevite,colourless caesium-bearing beryls from the Urals and rose-coloured and colourless alkali-rich beryls from Madagascar, or just a beryl. Some tests about a decade ago confirmed it's is not vorobyevite but still an alkali-rich beryl, with high levels of Na and Ca. The habit reminds me the tabular aquamarine from Mt. Xuebaoding, also alkali-rich. Perhaps these alkali metals changed the beryl's structure that shorten c-axis.

This was one of the best from the original finds, more were found recently with a diverse associations but many of them have an amphibol coating or inclusions rather than the highly lustrous crystal faces from the original find.

I believe this piece published in a book and displayed in TGMS 2019.

About 3cm, Deo Darrah, Kuran Wa Munjan District, Badakhshan, Afghanistani

Jingnan Zhang Coll (ex), now in a private collection, Jeff Scovil Photo