Panjshir Emerald / Afghanistan Emerald

Who should wear Afghanistan Emerald

The Panjshir Emerald , hailing from the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan, is renowned for its high quality and vibrant green color. In the context of Vedic astrology, emeralds are associated with the planet Mercury (Budh). They are believed to harness the energy of Mercury and are recommended for people who may benefit from a strengthened Mercury in their horoscope.

• 1 If Mercury is debilitated, weak, or afflicted by malefic planets in one's horoscope, an astrologer may recommend wearing an emerald.
• 2 Wearing an emerald may be recommended for those dealing with health problems related to speech, the nervous system, or respiratory issues, which are areas traditionally linked to Mercury's influence.

Panjshir Emerald Mine

Panjshir emerald is a world-class variety of emeralds bearing a nicely balanced bluish-green hue and exceptional transparency. Also named as ‘Panjshir valley emeralds’, these superior quality green gems are resourced from the Panjshir Province translated as ‘five lions’. This area has an interesting history behind its name. This region is named as ‘Panjsher’ to give tribute to the five spiritual brothers who once lived here. The mining area in Panjsher is located 113 kilometres northeast of the capital Kabul.

• The presence of emeralds in the Afghanistan Panjshir Valley was reported nearly thousand years ago. Earlier, there were more than 172 emerald mines located in Afghanistan providing superiority quality emerald for the past 400 years. But now, the production is carried out only in few mines.

• Due to the political & social unrest, taxation issues and lack of modern mining technology, Afghanistan emerald mines got severely exhausted. Currently, only a few mines are operational. The major Afghanistan emerald mines are Khenj, Mikeni, Butak, Buzmal, Bakhi and Barun. The quality of Panjsher varies from mine to mine. According to the gemmologists, the best Panjsher emeralds come from the Khenj mines (Milzeni and Darlzhenj region).

• The fine specimens of the natural Afghanistan emerald can even rival a fine quality Colombian emerald in terms of color, quality and price. But due to its significantly low production, it is little difficult to find premium quality Panjshir emerald for sale in the market. Therefore, if someone gets a chance to buy a original Panjshir emerald, he/she should never miss the opportunity!

Panjshir Emerald Prices

Panjshir emerald outweighs the other counterparts with great numbers in terms of color, transparency, cut and carat weight. Hence, they are considered as one of the most valuable emeralds worldwide.

Note : In India, Panjshir emerald price per carat starts from ₹ 3500 ($50) per carat and can go as far as ₹ 40000 ($620) per carat and above depending upon the quality and size. However, Panjshir/Afghanistan emerald prices in other countries like UAE, USA or UK may vary due to the difference in supply/demand cycle.

• Color

  - In emerald, color is an important consideration while deciding its price. Panjshir emerald gets its green from the chromium traces present in it. Afghanistan emeralds price per carat remains high for gems in the finest shades of green.

• Clarity

  – Eye clean Afghanistan emeralds with good transparency are extremely rare in nature. The value of such quality emerald remains considerably high. In contrast, the commercial grade emeralds from Afghanistan are relative cheaper because they are generally full of inclusions.

• Cut

  – Being a rare and expensive variety of emerald, Afghanistan emeralds are often shaped to get a good retention rate (save more carats to make commercial gains). Generally, the Panjshir emeralds in highly customised fancy cuts are more expensive than the regular oval and round gems. Lower quality Afghanistan emerald rough is often cut in cabochon and are comparatively cheaper in price.

• Carat weight

  – There is a shortage of large size Afghanistan emerald because most emerald bearing rock gets broken during the mining process. Therefore, Afghanistan emerald price per carat increases exponentially with big size stones especially when color and clarity co-exist on the same scale.