2002 St. Marie Aux Mine Show Report

Also   this  year  other five sunny days   at S. Marie Show. I’ll arrive there on Wednesday the day before the official start   with a lot of dealers alredy  set up and visitors too  because the entrance is free.  Someone after said me that the first dealers were setting up on Monday….continuing so   in the next years the show   will began  a week before.

In my short note I’ll try to give a view of the main mineral news from Africa , and America continents.

Let’s start with Africa.  The main areas that seem to produce constantly minerals are Morocco , Namibia, Zaire , South Africa and Madagascar.

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Gypsum from Morocco	Tente  4

From Morocco   I didn’t see anything new but there was a lot of minerals and fossils from this country . I could be say that the 20% of the surface show is from Morocco. All the main dealers are here in S. Marie.

It worth a mention some good samples of Hematite in bladed lustrous XX from Atlas mountains

Lot of vanadinites but  the quality was lower in average than last year. Some quite good fluorites from Hel Hammam of different size and color mailnly green but also pink.

A relatively new found of Proustite  form Imiter  was shown from some dealers but the price was hight for the quality. Very few anglesite of good quality only in the Theatre some nice anglesite and azzurrite Another thing I noticed was the quantity of roselite available !.  Most specimens are of lower  quality but there are many that are outstanding. 

Malachite Carrolite Cuprosklowskite	Mali Garnet

From Central Africa   there were many tents showing malachites samples  and the French dealer Gobin had many interesting brochantite and velvety malachite from the Kabolela Mine in Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and also some new specimens of cuprosklodowskite from the  Musonoi Mine . Another minerals shown last year was Carrolite and also this year there were a good selection of pieces too

Another find  from Mali were the Vesuvianites  in single prismatic XX up to 2 kg weight.  From Mali also a good selection of black and green andradites.

From South Africa   I  notice interesting  amethyst from Magliesberg Mountain which were offered from a dealer in our Tent toghether with classic specimens from the manganese fields.

Scepter from Madagascar	Hematite after magnetite from Patagonia

At last from  Madagascar there were  few interesting things above the commercial stuff that everybody knows.   I noticed interesting Japan –twin quartz crystals with scepter amethyst

Giant Elmwood Calcite	Brasil tourmalines

From USA  I didn’t notice new things except fine classic specimens  of Fluorite and a monster calcite from Elmwood .. Rodos from Sweet Home mine  and so on.  The first day of the show I met John Veevaert  of Trynity minerals and he had some very nice pieces of benitonites and neptunites in his bag , I was tempted  and I got one for my collection.

From South America  there were remarkable specimens of Brasilian tourmalines from PEDERNEIRA  showed by many dealers in the Theatre.

A Peruvian dealer was showing interesting Hubnerites in small nice red crystals

Another new find that caught my eyes were the Hematite after Magnetite  from Chubut region Patagonia . This is relatively a new find  of last year shown for first time in Denver. Also a selection of good fluorites and dioptase was available from this country

Well it’s all   for now   enjoy the next coming shows