Could this gemstone be the key to fixing Afghanistan's economy?
When you hear 'Afghanistan,' your first mental correlation probably isn't 'luxury gemstones.'
What many don't know is that north of Kabul, Afghanistan, lays a region rich in emerald mines.
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Habib Mohebi is trying to change just that.
Mohebi is co-founder of Aria Gems, a company that mines, exports and polishes emeralds from the Panjshir Valley of Afghanistan, known (appropriately so) as Panjshir Emeralds.
Along with co-founder Forrest Snowden, Mohebi's goal is simple – to bring education, safety and regulation to the emerald trade in Afghanistan.
Mubin Shah, a commercial attaché with the Afghan Embassy, explained to CNN Money:
"In Afghanistan, there is a grave issue of lack of education. There are many people in the gems industry who are unlicensed, unprofessional and extracting gems illegally."
Many miners in the region extract the gems by methods (such as setting explosives around the shafts) that are not only unsafe, but also damage the gemstone in the process.
Much of the gemstone trade in the country is also unlicensed and illegal.
Mohebi explained:
"We wanted to help the miners learn safer modern techniques that wouldn't damage the stone. [And] we're training men and women how to cut and polish the stone, too."
Aria Gems has shipped over 30K carats of emeralds since its launch three years ago, all mined from the three underground mines and four acres of above-ground emerald deposits that it owns.
Mohebi and Snowden hope that by growing the number of emeralds they extract, polish and sell, they'll be able to put Afghanistan on the map as a major player in the gemstone business.
Boost the economy, increase employment and successfully regulate an unregulated business practice? Sounds like a sparkling plan to us!
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