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This year for the first time we have visited the mineralogical show of Olten, in Switzerland.

This show is to the eighth edition and it is the first European mineralogical show after the Tucson event. This year the show had also one small but meaningful mineral exposure of selected M. Bianco specimens .   

Smoky " faden " quartz  of approximately 25 cm.  M. Bianco	Remarkable XX of  pink fluorite of 4-5 cm in evidence on smoky quartz M. Bianco
Crystals of 20 30 cm of smoky quartz   with the top passing to  quartz amethyst. M. Bianco

The show is small (approximately thirty exhibitors) but with a good quality level . Almost all the specimens were aesthetic minerals nearly exclusively of international origin. Very few of the exposed material was from local ( alpine ) rock hounders. You have to consider that the season of alpine search is still closed, since the mountains  are still covered of snow and ice. The mineral search in this region begins generally in June-July. The sale of the specimens goes from September to October-November. 

Olten is close to Zurich . To arrive there from Italy you have to pass almost all the Switzerland from south to North, passing through a series of very famous mineralogical localities: first the Gottard, very famous for the alpine fissure mineralisations. We can remember then  the very  famous "iron roses" and the apatites and the fantastic smoky quartzes.  

Unfortunately in this season the mountains are covered of snow and we have not had opportunity to make any mineralogical research or to visit some of the most famous localities. In spite of that the valleys of Switzerland are beautiful  and the cities and villages are rich of history and beautiful monuments.

Returning to the mineralogical show, the majority of the stands was occupied by dealers, and nearly completely absent the local rock hounders. The exposed minerals were mainly of international origin, even if some interesting local alpine minerals were present.  Practically no new findings. There were however minerals of good quality from Brazil, between which some brasilianites of   gem quality, perfectly transparent and of a beautiful green color  on the white dolomitic matrix . Then interesting Brazilian quartzes, with phantoms, beautiful tourmalines and quartzes amethyst from Namibia and in general Brazilian and African minerals, among which black and colored  tourmalines , barytes on malachite, etc. For the lovers of the wulfenite were in sale some champions of absolutely extraordinary quality :

completely transparent blades of an intense orange-yellow colour  of several centimeters of length from S. Francisco Mine . Very few alpine specimens, but some exceptional pink fluorites in isolated crystals of several centimeters or in association with quartz.

The pink Fluorites  had essentially two origins: the M. Bianco, with the classic associations with quartz and mountains of the Grimsel in Switzerland. We got some good samples of both the origins, in particular a pair of  Swiss pink fluorites  truly exceptional, bright and transparent on quartz matrix and white  albite. These samples from an aesthetic point of view remember in some way the Sweet Home Mine rhodos.

Like always present the iron roses, and some beautiful smoky quartzes of remarkable transparency of the M. Bianco. Finally some anatases from Col de la  Madeleine, in France, with the characteristic elongated crystalisation .

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