A really unusual beryl crystal. To begin with, the Haramosh locality is known for producing unusually dark blue aquamarines, though this piece is unique in that it the crystal is zoned, showing both dark and light blue areas. The crystal is even more of an oddity because of the crystal form. I probably paid more for this than I should have (from a resale standpoint) but it was so unusual that I really wanted to put it on the website. The prices for Pakistani material have gone through the roof-- this is particularly true of what I saw in Pakistan. I even heard a couple Pakistani dealers in Tucson remark that they had bought Pakistani/Afghan material IN Tucson to take BACK to Peshawar. I asked a couple of my Pakistani dealer friends if they knew the reason, and the answer I seemed to consistently get involved three factors. Firstly, the market in Kabul is now open. Pieces that used to go to Peshawar are now going Kabul, where the war has made a number of local people exceedingly rich. Apparently they see the minerals as investments. A second factor involved greater demand from China, not necessarily for specimens as much as for anything that could be used as gem rough of any quality. That, coupled with a production shortage seems to have driven the prices up... Unfortunately the mountains produce more of the same material every year, so unlike the early 90"s when a Pakistani aqua plate was unusual, these days their relative abundance means that the demand for everything but the best pieces is considerably lessened. As a result of higher prices and lower demand, a number of Pakistani dealers who used to come to Tucson are no longer there... plus issues obtaining US visas have not helped... None of that has much to do with this rock, I just thought it was interesting information =)