Conflict or terror are the world's most direct impressions of Afghanistan, but few people know that this land, where wars are frequent, actually hides one of the world's largest gemstone deposits.

I am proud to see young Afghan men and women bringing handicrafts from Kabul to markets around the world. I hope these artifacts can demonstrate the importance of traditional crafts in rebuilding lives and generating income, especially in post-conflict situations. - King Charles III of England

Gemstones and their origins

Afghanistan is located at the junction of the East and the West, in the heart of Asia. It is a landlocked country, not close to the sea, that borders Middle Eastern countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Despite being politically unstable for more than four decades due to its strategic location, it remains one of the poorest countries in the world. However, the mountainous Afghanistan is actually rich in mineral resources. In addition to industrial minerals such as gold, silver, copper, iron, and zinc, it also has various extremely valuable gemstones.

In gemology, gemstones are distinguished by the Mohs scale of relative hardness and are therefore subdivided into precious stones and semi-precious stones. Precious gemstones refer to gemstones with a Mohs hardness of 9 or above, including diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Semi-precious stones are other gemstones with a hardness of less than 7 on the Mohs scale and a lower value than the former.

The northeastern part of Afghanistan is one of the most important gem-producing areas in the world, and mining began even as early as 1,300 years ago. The most famous thing in Afghanistan is the world's largest collection of lapis lazuli. Other precious and plentiful ones include ruby, emerald, tourmaline, Konsai stone, etc. These large gem collections have laid the foundation for Afghanistan's history for thousands of years of a traditional gemstone and metalworking culture.

柏柏胸針－婦女地位的展現

Afghanistan has used gemstones for more than 6,000 years, among which Lapis lazuli is the oldest and is even known as the "National Stone of Afghanistan". Lapis lazuli originates from Latin, Lapis which means “gemstone”, and lazuli that means “blue”. It also had its own special name in ancient China and ancient Indian Buddhism. Lapis lazuli is similar to the indigo color of the sky or ocean. Modern spiritual schools believe that it can penetrate directly into the depths of the soul and provide healing energy. It can relieve anxiety, enhance expression ability, and enhance spirituality.

“I am proud to see young Afghan men and women bringing handicrafts from Kabul to markets around the world. I hope these crafts can demonstrate the importance of traditional crafts in rebuilding lives and generating income, especially in the post-conflict world’s situation." - King Charles III of England

Since ancient times, the fine cutting and setting techniques of Afghan jewelry have been highly respected. However, decades of war and instability have made it difficult for Afghan gemstone crafts to enter the international market. Faced with this dilemma, Turquoise Mountain established a craft training institution in Afghanistan to train talented gemologists and establish bridges for them with museums, retailers and international design brands around the world. Through partnerships with Pippa Small and Pamela Love Cooperate, well-known design brands, they let the world see the beauty of Afghanistan’s gemstone and metalwork.

This time SouSou Corner cooperates with Turquoise Mountain to introduce Afghan gemstone and metalworking for the first time. From the unique creations of craftsmen, through these beautiful, unique and story-telling gemstone jewelry, you will see the landscape, history and beauty of Central Asia. 

天生世襲的飾品工匠

Craftsman Original Series

This series is based on the independent creations of Afghan craftsmen, and their creations are inspired by natural landscapes, historical stories and traditional ornaments. For example, the Hindu Kush Mountains in the east, with their jagged peaks and dramatic valleys, have become a strong linear style of jewelry. The blue watersheds formed by the open rivers in the valleys are presented in lapis lazuli, demonstrating a stunning beauty of the central asian landscape. Other stories about the queens of the ancient empire and traditional silver jewelry from neighboring Turkmenistan have become the creative themes of Afghan craftsmen.

十字架與星月

身為半遊牧的圖阿雷格族，沙漠或游牧的日常亦體現在飾品工藝中。其中十字架是圖阿雷格飾品重要的圖騰之一，每一個部落都有屬於自己獨特的十字架，有的與十字架相似（tanaghilt），有的則接近板狀或盾狀物（talhakim），其緣起可能來自迦太基女神塔尼特（Tanit）。

在圖阿雷格的傳統中，當兒子成年、結婚或開始遊牧時，父親就會把家族的十字架吊墜傳給兒子：「因為我們不知道你最終會在哪裡死去，我將世界的四個方向都給你。」希望十字架能保佑兒子始終清楚方向、平安回家，使得十字架成為圖阿雷格陽性的代表圖騰。

Islamic Geometric Series

There is a well-known building in northern Afghanistan, the Zadian Minaret, which is a "prayer tower" used to notify people of prayer times. This tower is covered with Islamic geometric patterns of octagons, pentagons, hexagons and rhombuses, which are the inspiration for this series. Traditional hand-cutting techniques are used to transform the geometric patterns of the minaret into exquisitely balanced metal accessories.

Cats of kabul series

In the old city of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, cats are indispensable but often ignored. Craftsmen often give cats names or play with them. This series is inspired by the cats of Kabul, using lapis lazuli and malachite as the protagonists to design bracelets, rings and necklaces.