When you hear 'Afghanistan', what comes to mind first? Probably these days, unfortunately...the Taliban. But if you asked Afghan entrepreneur and gemologist Javad Rezabaksh what comes to his mind when he hears 'Afghanistan', you know what he'd say? Emeralds. And for good reason. It’s said that there is $1 TRILLION worth of resources under Afghan soil. Gold, copper, natural gas, oil -- you name it. But for Javad, the most important resource in Afghanistan? The mythical emeralds found only in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley. Afghan emeralds are like those from Colombia. They boast a deep, rich green sought after by jewellers and collectors alike. The problem? Afghans have a very difficult time fetching top price for their country’s most prized possession and are often ripped off when selling them. First, in an industry where provenance means everything, many brands avoid Afghan emeralds in fear they were sourced by Taliban. A result? Afghan emeralds are often smuggled into Pakistan, only to be smuggled again to Colombia to be sold and disguised as Colombian emeralds. Second, unsophisticated mining techniques among those in the Panjshir Valley means more often than not, emeralds are demolished during the extraction process, destroying millions of dollars of value. These mining tactics also pose dangerous safety risks for those involved. Third, without infrastructure in country to polish and certify gemstones, those that do make money on Afghan emeralds are usually everybody but the Afghans themselves. Margins from selling polished gems and jewellery are far higher than the profits miners make from selling rough So when Javad returned to his home country of Afghanistan in 2011 after spending most of his life as a refugee in Iran, he had one mission: To put Afghan emeralds on the world map. He opened a cutting and polishing facility in Kabul, equipping his lab with US gemstone technology. Javad trained countless locals, mostly women, to both identify and polish gemstones, giving Afghan miners and traders an outlet to get more value for their country’s resources. More recently, Javad teamed up with international development agency USAID, 2 Afghan partners, and 1 American partner to turn his modest facility into one of the most advanced gemology and polishing labs, right in the heart of Kabul. Its name? The Silk Road Heart Lab. With Silk Road Heart opening in 2020, Javad was one step closer to fulfilling his dream of, in his words, having the world ‘recognize Afghanistan by its emeralds.’ But now, it seems Javad’s dream, just like the dreams of so many other Afghans, is put on hold. This conversation with Javad was recorded on August 16th, 2021 - whilst Javad was in hiding. Javad's story is one of tragedy, of hope, and of love for country.