Our second report from the very wet Mineral & Gem à Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2013 brings you information from around the show, and a little more from our own booth.
Saturday morning in the tent lined streets of Ste Marie-aux-Mines, the collectors are still out regardless of the rain.
The Sainte Marie-aux-Mines show is spread through out the small mining town, both indoors in areas such as the Grand Theatre, and outdoors with tents lining the street. The dealers are split into Mineral and Gem Zones. Out and about into the show we went in search of new finds and interesting minerals.
One of the many Chinese dealers at the show. Notice there are no labels or prices with the specimens.
Rarely do I pass by Luiz Menezes tent at St Marie. He always has some amazing rarities from Brazil. Here are just one or two of the things he had that I had not seen before.
Luiz Menezes’ glass display stand with many Brazilian goodies.Luiz at his “office”Large Hematite “Rosette” from Coluna Mine, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.Luiz also had a flat of these great Andalusite crystal groups from Jenipapo District, Minas Gerais, Brazil.Rare uranium mineral Haiweeite with Uranophane and other minerals from Teofilo Otoni, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Wandering around I came across a new Peruvian Dealer – Minart Peru, who were exhibiting in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines for the first time. They had Rhodochrosites, Huebnerites and other well known examples of fine Peruvian minerals of a high quality and reasonably priced.
Yrene and Juan of Minart Peru in their tent.A superb spray of Huebnerite crystals with Quartz from Pasto Bueno District, Peru.Gorgeous gemmy Rhodochrosite from Ancash, PeruAnother great Rhodochrosite lined pocket, this time with associated Fluorite, again from Ancash Dept. Peru.
We dropped by to visit Gilles Emringer to see the fine French mineral specimens that he had on display (don’t forget we have many of Gilles’ specimens from his personal collection on display in our booth at the show this year).
Gilles Emringer and his assistant Sophie doing their best to keep warm in their tent.One of Gilles’ cabinets displaying some of his finest specimens.Fine velvety fibrous Malachite specimens – one of many trays of specimens from the D. R. Congo that Gilles had on display.Rich blue Hemimorphite from Mindouli, D. R. Congo
Nearby I found an old friend from the Burhouse team in England – Niko – in a tent filled with minerals from Trepča. The dealer, Vojlo Pavcic, was happy to show me some of the great specimens he had for sale.
Vojko with Niko and a table covered with minerals from Trepča valley, Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo.More of the minerals from Trepča.A large Sphalerite from the Trepča valley, Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo.Lewi of “The Opal People” with his stand of rough and polished Australian Opal. Lewi is based in the UK and cuts and polishes all his own pieces.A selection of Lewi’s polished Opal pieces.A polished freeform piece of Lightning Ridge Opal.
One Russian dealer came to us with some pieces of the recent Chelyabinsk meteorite fall which got extensive TV coverage in mid February earlier this year. It was great to have the opportunity to see and handle some of these amazing objects.
Fragments of the Chelyabinsk meteorite fall.A meteorite fragment cut through to reveal the internal structureDona sorting through the Chelyabinsk meteorites – choosing the best.
Just a quick note for all collectors and dealers to be aware of:
We were forwarded some information from a well known mineral dealer about the following Fake Moroccan Wulfenite specimen being sold at the show. These will undoubtedly turn up at future events as we know there were around 50 or so of these specimens on offer. The following images show what happened to this specimen when treated with acetone. Buyer beware!!!
The fake Moroccan Wulfenite specimen as purchased.After treatment in acetone, which dissolves glue, showing the Wulfenite has come ‘unstuck’
Back inside to our booth here are a few more goodies that we had on offer – if you are interested in any of these specimens, please do not hesitate to contact us, and we can let you know more about the specimen or similar ones we have for sale.
A superb Olmiite ball from the N’chwaning Mines, South Africa.A fine Cornish classic – Liroconite from Wheal Gorland, Cornwall, England. This is the finest of several specimens we have recently acquired.A very rich blue Linarite specimen from the Red Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England – desirable for any collector of British minerals.Terminated Witherite crystal from Alston Moor, Cumbria, England.Rich cluster of Wulfenite from the Erupcion Mine, Los Lamentos, Mexico.Crystallised Native Silver from Batopilas, Chihuahua, MexicoAnother Native Silver specimen, this time associated with Native Copper from Houghton County, Michigan, USA.Exquisite pale blue Smithsonite aggregates on matrix from the Kelly Mine, New Mexico, USA.Pagoda shaped Parisite crystals perched on Smoky Quartz and Aegirine from Mount Malosa, Zomba, Malawi.A gemmy Rhodochrosite crystal cluster from the Kalahari manganese fields, South Africa.Rhodonite crystals with modified crystals of Franklinite from the Furnace Mine, Franklin Mining district, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA.
And a few more French beauties to finish off:
A spectacular Pyromorphite from Les Farges, France.Another Pyromorphite from Les Farges, this time as a fine crust of mustard coloured Pyromorphite needles with orange Wulfenite on Quartz.A lime green globular Pyromorphite from Asprieres, Decazeville, Aveyron, France.A partial spherical aggregate of Stilbite from La Lauziere Massif, Savoie, Rhone Alpes, France.And lastly a specimen from here! Sphalerite crystals on Quartz from Ste Marie-aux-Mines, Alsace, France.A closeup of the Sphalerite crystals
As you know, Mineral Shows are not just about the rocks, but also about the socialising with mineral friends. The Sainte Marie show organisers put on a large party for the mineral dealers on the Thursday night, this year with a celebration to the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Munich Show Mineralientage. Many people, dare I say hundreds, attended the celebration with hot BBQ food and drinks available all evening. Tables and benches were laid out in orderly fashion partially under cover and there was a stage for the band and dancers complete with P.A. and lighting system. It was held in a football playing field, with a wooden boarded area for dancing beneath the stage. The weather was a little chilly so many sat and chatted with overcoats on to keep warm but none of this seemed to dampen spirits. A good time was had by all and it wasn’t long before the dance floor was crowded.
A nice touch – all the beer beakers were marked with this logo. Worth keeping one of these in your collection for future years?A view of the proceedings from the other end of the playing field.The queue for the BBQ along one side of the playing field.The stage with the band and the musicians.…and then came the dancers.Wayne, Ian and Dona counting cups as best they can!Dona Leicht with Dave Hacker enjoying the celebrations.Now, what shall I do with this??The Kristalle / Crystal Classics table. Dona Leicht at the front on the left with Dave Hacker behind and Peter Schlegel in red at the back with Katherine Schlegel and Ed Loye opposite him. Dave Spiller and Liz Hacker on the right towards the front.John Veevaert joined us for the evening.The dancing begins. Wayne, Dona, Ian, Liz and Ed all showing how it’s supposed to be done!! This was just the start – soon the dance floor was full.The start of something big . . .. . . then bigger. Beaker donations come in, are we going to reach the ceiling?nearly!Dona, Ian and Diana hold them steadyLiz and Dave on the dance floorWayne and Dona breaking out some funky moves
Well that’s it for this year at Mineral & Gem at Sainte-Marie-aux Mines. A great show despite some of the poorest weather that any of us have experienced here in many years. We will all be back next year with just as much enthusiasm hoping to find those treasures to add to our collections. Be sure to join us in 2014.
Orchids in the Kristalle and Crystal Classics booth
Malachite Mousepad
$12.00
Agate Mousepad
$12.00
Calcite with Duftite (M2063)
$750.00
Malachite (M2062)
$1,250.00
Copal (M2061)
$175.00