2002 St. Marie Aux Mine Show Report
Browsing through the exibitors tents we have found many interesting minerals
and the list is very long.
There was a large number of dealers from CHINA and they were offering some
very good opportunities.
Fluorite was abundant with two news :large green octaedron up to 10 cm. size
on white matrix and purple pentadodecahedrons up to 4 cm. in large groups.Shocking and
very expensive.
Another news was Copper and Cuprite from Hunan.Copper in arborescent form with excellent small crystal groups and Cuprite in brilliant tiny octahedrons.Combination of the two gave attractive cabinet and small cabinet specimens
 |
 |
| A chinese specimens table | Red quartz , Hematite from China |
And finally Stibnite from the new finds was present in many tables,large intergrown groups up to 20 cm.long with excellent termination and some in combination with small fluorite crystals.
One note about China is that we couldn’t find the new Kermesite that was brougth to the market this winter.Only Jordi Fabre had some specimens and that was all.
 |
 |
| Chinese Kermesites | Chinese Spessartina |
Now let’s go to PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN minerals.Two new minerals were put on the market last year Afghanite and Hackmanite and we found good exmples of both.Afghanite (a complex exagonal silicate of the cancrinite group) was the less abundant but we found a table with some pieces of exceptional quality,blue crystals up to 3 cm.,very expensive.
 |
 |
| Hackmanite from Afghanistan | Giant Topaz from Pakistan |
Hackmanite was more present and it was possible to find good
purple crystals up to 4 cm.at a reasonable price.Going to ‘traditional’minerals
there is always a great choice of Acquamarine,Elbaite and Topaz.In particular Elbaites of
fantastic transparency and colour was shown at the tables.One sole problem:price!
Last to mention is a new finding on green garnet (demantoide or
tsavorite?)from Afghanistan.Not too many pieces with gemmy crystals of 1 cm. size.
 |
 |
| Kunzite | Our Pakistan friend |
Finally it is worth to mention from INDIAN
dealers the offer of some very good pieces of the green cubic Apophyllite that was
presented for the first time at the Munich show. Cabinet and small cabinet specimens as
usual very aesthetic.
And for whom who like ‘normal’ green apophyllite, a large selection of excellent aesthetic pieces in combination with
stilbite.And the price was very reasonable.
Mesolite in large bowls (up to 20 cm.) ,Powellite,we saw a piece with a 8
cm. crystal ,and a large selection of Cavansites with a excellent blue colour completed
the choice.
From Europe there wasn't much news and few specimens . I notice only some good French Flourites from Tarn, and Silver from Saxony . From East Europe and Russia there wasn't much we expected to find some good red quartz but there were few with hight prices. It worth a mention the Pyrrothite from Dal'nergosk with very nice XX up to 10 cm .
From Norway I noticed nice Anatase in centimetric XX from Valdrez and interesting monazites in muscovite matrix. From Sweden few good sample of Cobaltite
 |
 |
| French Flourite | Red Russian quartz |
BACK to HOME PAGE