Forbidden bite

These Afghan Jade Onyx hand-carved Apple varieties 75mm weigh 384-414g. Each has been sculpted from the translucent Serpentine stone found in Pakistan. This stone is often referred to as Onyx, even though it is not agate. Our partner in Karachi used glued and dyed slices of this stone to carefully style a beautiful stone apple.

Afghan Jade is a form of Serpentine named after one of the main countries where it is mined. It is a dense cryptocrystalline mixture of serpentine group mineral. These minerals are mainly antigorite, chrysotile and lizardite. It contains impurities such as chlorite, ilmenite, magnetite and talc. Afghan Jade is used for carving. It is translucent to opaque, varying in colour from white, light to dark green and can also occur with yellow, black, brown, pink or yellow inclusions.

Colour: black, brown, green, olive green, yellow

Transparency: opaque, translucent

Hardness: 6-7

Mineral group: Serpentinite

Formula: Simple: NaAlSi₂O₆; More specifically: D₃[Si₂O₅](OH)₄ D= Mg, Fe, Ni, Mn, Al, Zn

Other characteristics: Afghan Jade is technically a rock, rather than a mineral.

Location: Afghanistan, Pakistan

Rarity: common

Chakra: Heart, all

Emotional: balance, compassion, love, relationships, soothing, tranquility, understanding

Mental/intellectual: clarity, decision, perspective, selflessness

Spiritual: chakra alignment, communication with animals, connection with Nature, growth, harmony, Kundalini awakening, meditation, transformation

Astrology: Pisces, Libra, all signs; Earth