Sannan Skarn

 

A new deposit of complex fine-grained rocks was found in Western Pakistan.

 

The material is characterised by its more or less green colour, due to chrome, and ressembles Maw Sit Sit.

 

The mineralogical components vary strongly in short distances and the minerals identified (hydrogrossular, diopside, aegirine, winchite, pectolite, chlorite, natrolite, sodalite etc.) are not well known to gemologists.

 

A common term to name the material is skarn, as it describes a rock formed by a metasomatic replacement of a parent rock commonly a calc-silicate rock, transformed in a contact or metamorphic process. “Sannan" is a specific modifier that specifically describes the skarn from the new occurrence. The opaque material is suitable for cabochons, spheres, and carvings and other jewelry items.