Cry for Afghanistan by TomDart
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Description
This is more of a statement than a gallery quality posting..please bear my need to speak.
This Aquamarine is 169 carats, mined and cut in Afghanistan. It is a beauty. Afghanistan has a treasure of gemstones in the earth..gems in the beryl family like Aquamarine, Emerald, Morganite and Golden Beryl. There are corundum gems, rubies and sapphires including a very unusual and beautiful purple sapphire. There is kunzite, vibrant colored tourmaline in a rainbow of color and other marketable gemstones. Of course, the world's prime quality Lapis Lazuli is from Afghanistan.
The man who owns this large Aquamarine has been working with the Afghani prople nearly 30 years, trying of late to help set up profitable mining for gemstones. Unfortunately, the government there imposes a total tax and tariff burden of about 46% on the miners.
So, what happens? The gems to the the Pakistan border..sold across the border. The miners are called smugglers and they call the government bandits. The incentive to have a viable mining operation is curtailed by high taxing and severely cut profits.
A profitable mining industry not encouraging smuggling could be a real boon to the economy of that country and its peoples.
All the time, the drug growers/sellers would rather have human power working the poppy fields instead of working the wonderful gemstone mines.
What to do? I cannot do much of anything. So, I cry for Afghanistan. Perhaps I will make the trip with this man someday..learning to eat goat meat and chicken, sleep on the floor and live with the War Lords. You do not want to be with Americans. With the war lords is the best course providing they know you. They know this man as a long time friend. Might be worth the trip and the risk someday.
Nikon D70, raw, color did not need correction.
50mm Sigma macro lens, ISO 600, F/9, 1/60sec, regional light shot through showcase glass.
Comments (19)
drace68
A beautiful gem. And an even more interesting story. Thank you for posting. Dick
MrsLubner
I think I'm already ready to be a part of this... I eat goat, chicken, sleep on the floor and live with heathens (my uncivilized family). This is a beautiful shot. I have a very large aquamarine handed down to me from my mother and I have always had a warm spot for them, as well as rubies. As for the miner's plight, I am not unsympathetic... but there is inequity, wrong doing and oppression everywhere. I can not help them all, but I can feel pain for each.
MOROLEN
i suppose the color of a free market is sky-blue? the story sells the gem, well done for both.
Charberry
I was aware of the gemstones in Afghanistan, but never knew why they weren't being mined. Now I know. My son spent 14 months there in the U. S. Army. We have only heard a few of his stories. Excellent post.
Zorg1955
Full respect to your words Tom ! totally full respect ........................
RobyHermida
Gorgeous shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Roby ;O)
Mousson
I know by a friend expert in stones many of best pieces of world came from Afganistan. He negociate with taibans in Bangkok. There a big market, with hotels fulls of trafficants. But with this taxes the miners are condenate to be explorated and clandestinity, policial abuses. Many terrbile wars in Africa has behind the control of diamants. Now the " diamataires" created a seal to "etical stones" or "diamants without blood". This not resolve the problems immediatily but is a beguin, a way... It´s necessary make pressure on Afganistan governement, and the governs only make that when the pression of people is strong... The people must know many wonderful stones coast many blood.
auntietk
A beautiful stone, and a moving story. Thank you for the information - I was unaware of the quality of stones in Afghanistan.
StarChildSong
Thank you for sharing. I am more informed and educated on this issue. (^_^)
Valerie-Ducom
What jewel !!! It's so beautiful and very nice color ! Thanks for the infromation... Good day :)
rainbows
As Jean-Louis, Tom. Total respect for your words. I did not know of these things happening. I do not watch television nor read a newspaper. The jem stone shot is beautiful. Thank you, dear Tom for giving a voice to Afganistan and its people. Hugs, Good night and God Bless. Diane.
Janiss
As Jean-Louis and Diane, total respect Tom for your words! This capture is fantastique!
prionbrain
I totally aggree with your statement! Coming from eastern Europe I have a (perhaps vague but still) idea of the way things are run... we have similar problem with our national treasure of historical value - all being sold out abroad...and national monuments being destroyed because the government doesn't want to protect, but just to gain and profit...Unfortunately I also don't know what to do, since I don't think that eating goat and chicken and living with the people will actually make the government see its mistake...:(, but one must start somewhere indeed! This is one brilliant picture! I am a great fan of gemstones!!!
mamabobbijo
A beautiful gem and a very interesting story. Kudos to your friend for trying to better the lives of these miners.
trishabadblood
wow..wonderful stone...
pixeltek
While I'd rather be with the Americans over there than anyone, you have brought up a very interesting story about Afghanistan, that I was not aware of. I have been away from cutting or identifying gems a long, long time now. Afghanistan, part of the old Silk Road would be worth a trip, and I plan to go there in the not too distant future, anyway. However, you are also pointing straight at the problem of a country that for probably a couple thousand years of tribal and warlords culture and political corruption constantly gets in the way of its own progress. It, no more than Pakistan, will never get past that. Someday, there will be one warlord powerful enough once more to brutally unify the tribes, for a while, only to, as always, disintegrate into warring factions once more. The only other unifying force that came into play was Islam, but even that is only a veneer over the tribal cultures that run right into the Pakistani border provinces. That is a beautiful gem. Maybe its good that some of those treasures remain where they are, rather than to be stripped on a large and organized scale from the land whose people certainly don't seem to benefit from these treasures.
mooreno
thanks for the story. learning is the wind of change
bubu78
I didn't know about this story, Tom. Thanks for telling us, and beautiful stone !
Elcet
What you say, and what our friend Rosely (Mousson) adds is very instructive. We can hope that these treasures hope people to develop, but this is very rarely the case. Mooreno also says the "Learning is the wind of change" and I think that it is a very true idea. Thanks a lot for sharing these facts.