The studio
Work the stone before you buy it
Four tools built from how we actually assess material: see a carat weight at true size, learn the Afghan colour range, compare what a cut does to colour, and write a specification we can quote against.
The size gauge
Carat is weight, not size
The single most common misunderstanding in coloured stones. A 5 ct tourmaline is visibly smaller than a 5 ct emerald, because tourmaline is denser. Below, the stone is drawn at true physical size on your screen — calibrate it against a bank card and it will be accurate to the millimetre.
Calibrate to your screen
Hold any bank or ID card against the screen and drag until the outline matches it exactly. We store the result on your device only.
Dimensions are estimated from standard trade weight formulas and typical proportions, and will vary with the individual stone. Every stone we sell is measured and stated on its invoice.
The colour range
The Afghan colour range
Panjshir emerald, and the full tourmaline spectrum out of Nuristan and Kunar. Select a colour to see what it is, where it comes from, and how hard it is to find in fine quality.
Cut and colour
What a cut does to a colour
In diamonds a cut is chosen for brilliance. In coloured stones it is chosen for colour — a step cut deepens it, a brilliant cut lightens it. This is the judgement we make on every piece of rough before it goes to the wheel.
Availability
What the ground gives, by colour and weight
We can source any size — but honesty about what the ground produces is more useful to you than a promise. This is our working view of the Afghan material.
Everything we sell is eye clean. Every stone in every band below, in every colour, is clean to the unaided eye and untreated — that is the grade we buy at and the only grade we offer. The table shows how readily each colour is found at each size. Wholesale lots are quoted separately by parcel weight, in kilos rather than carats. Nothing here is a hard ceiling: ask, and we will go and look.
| Colour | 1–5 ct | 5–20 ct | 20–50 ct | 50–100 ct | 100–500 ct | 500 ct + |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panjshir emerald | Routine | Good | Occasional | Occasional | On request | On request |
| Jegdalek ruby | Good | Good | Occasional | Occasional | On request | On request |
| Indicolite | Good | Good | Occasional | Occasional | On request | On request |
| Lagoon | Good | Routine | Good | Occasional | On request | On request |
| Verdelite | Routine | Routine | Routine | Good | Occasional | On request |
| Rubellite | Routine | Good | Occasional | Occasional | On request | On request |
| Bicolour | Occasional | Good | Good | Occasional | On request | On request |
| Mint | Good | Good | Good | Occasional | On request | On request |
The specification builder
Build a specification
Any quality, any size, any shape, any quantity — but the more precisely you describe it, the faster and better our answer. Fill this in and send it straight through, or copy it into your own email.
Your specification
Ready to send
You will get a straight answer on what we hold, what is coming, and what will be difficult — including when the answer is that we cannot help.
Enquiries
Or simply tell us in your own words
Tools are useful, but a sentence describing what you actually need is usually faster. Write to us in English, Dutch, Dari, Pashto, Arabic, Chinese or Thai.