Javad Rezabaksh - Bringing Afghan Emeralds to the World (Silk Road Heart Gem Lab)
In 1991, as an 8-year-old boy, Javad Rezabaksh and his family fled Afghanistan for Iran during the Afghan Civil War. 20 years later, in 2011, Javad returned to open his own small-scale gemstone cutting factory, where he trained countless Afghans - mostly women - to both identify and polish gemstones, especially emeralds. Why gemstones you ask? 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. And after 9 years of polishing Afgham gemstones in his small Kabul facility, Javad partnered with USAID to help build what would be one of the most modern, innovative gemstone polishing and certification labs not just in Afghanistan, but in the world. Its name? The Silk Road Heart Gem Lab. But one year later, as Kabul fell to the Taliban, both Javad's and the Silk Road Heart Lab's future in Afghanistan are tragically in question. I spoke with Javad on 16th August, 2021 whilst he was in Kabul, hiding in a friend's basement. After two weeks in hiding, Javad -- in disguise and on foot -- was able to flee. Now, you can hear Javad's story: a story of resilience, of hope, and of love for country.