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Entry № 010

Afghanite

Sodium Calcium Potassium Alumino-Sulfate-Silicate

Lapis-country blue, gathered in miniature.

Chakra

Third Eye · Throat

Element

Air

Zodiac

Sagittarius · Aquarius

Afghanite

I. The Metaphysical Reading

How the stone has been held.

Practitioners describe afghanite as a stone of clear speech - one that supports the articulation of interior knowing when silence has grown heavy. It shares the traditions of its host rock, lapis lazuli, and is often placed at the throat during quiet reflection.

Chakra
Third Eye · Throat
Element
Air
Zodiac
Sagittarius · Aquarius
Keynote
Lapis-country blue, gathered in miniature.

II. The Scientific Reading

What the lattice actually does.

Afghanite is a rare feldspathoid discovered in 1968 within the Sar-e-Sang lapis-lazuli deposit of Badakhshan Province. Its blue colour arises from S₃⁻ and S₂⁻ chromophore ions trapped in the cancrinite-type framework - the same colour mechanism responsible for the blue in lazurite. The mineral is uniaxial negative and shows strong pleochroism from colourless to deep blue.

Formula
(Na,Ca,K)₈(Si,Al)₁₂O₂₄(SO₄,Cl,CO₃)₃·H₂O
System
Hexagonal (cancrinite group)
Hardness
5.5 – 6 (Mohs)
Provenance
Afghanistan (Sar-e-Sang), Tajikistan, Italy (Vesuvius), Russia

References & Sources

Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.

Mineral Profile

Fact Sheet

Chemical Formula
(Na,Ca,K)₈(Si,Al)₁₂O₂₄(SO₄,Cl,CO₃)₃·H₂O
Crystal System
Hexagonal (cancrinite group)
Mohs Hardness
5.5 – 6 (Mohs)
Density
2.55 – 2.65 g/cm³
Refractive Index
1.523 – 1.529
Provenance
Afghanistan (Sar-e-Sang), Tajikistan, Italy (Vesuvius), Russia
Color Origin
Sky to indigo blue - sulfide chromophores in the framework channels

Related Crystals

Stones that share this lattice

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