Green Hauyne : A New Afghan Gem Discovery

Vibrant Green Hauyne from Afghanistan, ranging from 0.25ct - 1.19ct (Thai Lanka Trading, 2024)

We are always excited when something new and unusual appears on the gem market. In late 2023 we heard rumors of ‘Green Sodalite’ coming from the lapis mining area at Sar-i-Sang, in northeastern Afghanistan. In December we were shown cut gems of this material and, though mostly small, they were unusual and interesting. Our in-office testing however indicated they were in fact Hauyne rather than Sodalite – even more interesting! We sent the stones for further testing at the reputable GIT (Gemmological Institute of Thailand) and they confirmed this identification. This new material was indeed never before seen Green Hauyne.

At the Tucson GJX Show of early 2024 we exhibited our finest piece of Green Hauyne, a clean round gem of 1.19 carats, and it attracted much attention from both gem collectors and laboratories. Upon the suggestion and coordination of Brendan Laurs, editor of the UK’s Journal of Gemmology, we contributed our stone and learnings to GIT lab for an article about this new material. This article about Green Hauyne was published in the Journal of Gemology (Volume 39, No.1) in April 2024.

Hauyne is generally known as the vivid blue gems from the Eifel district in Germany. Sizes of the cut stones are typically small, ranging from tiny melee to 0.50cts. Hauyne has been found in a number of other locations, though the only other sources of gem quality that we know of are a very small source of near colorless material in Tanzania (Gems & Gemology, Fall 2009), and some large dark blue cabochons from Mogok, Burma. Gem quality, facet grade Hauyne of any color over 0.50ct is extremely rare, and truly Green Hauyne was previously unheard of. The Afghan Green Hauyne is something completely new in the gem market.

So far this year, Green Hauyne has continued to trickle out of Afghanistan. Colors range from yellowish green to blueish green, the latter being most common (and beautiful) - distinctly different from the typical blue of German Hauyne. Clean gems appear to be a real rarity. Most stones are slightly ‘silky’ in appearance, and many have fractures, so clean gems of any size are scarce and special. To date, the largest true gem green Hauyne we have seen is our 1.19 carat stone, and though we have heard of some approaching 1.50ct we cannot attest to the quality. In our experience, the vast majority of clean gems are under 0.40ct, with 0.10-0.25ct sizes being most common.

To date none of the stones offered to us as green Sodalite have actually tested as Sodalite; they have a significantly higher Refractive Index and test as the related mineral Hauyne.

Sar-i-Sang, or ‘Sar-E-Sang’ is located in the far northeast of Afghanistan, near the border with Tajikistan. (Google Maps 2024)

While gem sources all around the world seem to be depleting, it is exciting that the Sar-i-Sang area of Afghanistan is producing new and unusual gems. These include light blue Afghanite in impressive sizes, gem Green Hauyne, blue Hauyne (albeit not transparent) and yellow Sodalite! We hope the region continues to make new gem discoveries.

However, some words of warning: the rough green Hauyne being offered online is nearly always heavily oiled to hide fractures, and when cut, will yield included stones. Sadly, this applies to Afghanite and blue Hauyne as well. We ordered from Peshawar, Pakistan a cut stone described as ‘clean, fine green Hauyne’, though when it arrived it was obviously enhanced. After a one-minute bath in acetone it was found to be full of fractures and near colorless! On another note, while the yellow color in Sodalite is apparently natural, a strong orange color in Sodalite can be the result of artificial irradiation.  

If you have any questions or are interested in purchasing Green Hauyne, please feel free to contact us. Moreover, if you have any information or experience regarding this exciting new material we would love to hear from you! We are always eager to learn more.