The Where of Mineral Names: Afghanite, Sar-e-Sang, Koksha Valley, Kuran wa Munjan District, Badakhshan, Afghanistan.

It certainly has the longest history of exploitation of all other minerals in the region and perhaps is even the oldest mineral/gemstone exploited by man since the Neolithic Period (Wyatt, Bariand, and Filippi [26]). Identified in the gemstones were inclusions of calcite and pyrite, two minerals known to occur in lazurite but not common in afghanite. Afghanite, (Na,K) SB 22 sb Ca SB 10 sb (Si SB 24 sb Al SB 24 sb O SB 96 sb )(SO SB 4 sb ) SB 6 sb Cl SB 6 sb (fig. 1), is a member of the cancrinite group of feldspathoid minerals with a crystal structure defined as an eight-layer member of this group (Ballirano et al. [5], [2]; Ballirano, Maras, and Buseck [4]). Geology, Gems, and Minerals of Afghanistan The regional geology of Afghanistan has been succinctly summarized by the British Geological Survey (BGS) (https://www..bgs.ac.uk/AfghanMinerals/geology.htm; accessed May 2021). [Extracted from the article]