Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines
2004
Ste Marie, the town where even the ore bins are
full of flowers.
(esta página en español)
To start with, here is an overview of the 2004 show.
A pleasant corner of the French Alsace region...
Above
all else, the impression one gets from the show is that it keeps growing and growing
without end. Given that Ste Marie-aux-Mines is not that large a town one cannot
see how more dealers and visitors can fit in. But somehow the organizers of the
show manage to get them in by find new areas for dealers. This year the new one
is called Euro-Mineral 2, it is across the street from the Post Office and next
to the Tisserands square. 130 new dealers found a home in this new area. At the
start of the show they complained about the lack of visitors but by Saturday they
had far more work! The number of visitors also seems to grow every year, and I
suspect that once again this year will show a significant increase on previous
years. This increase in visitors certainly adds to the great 'feel' of the show.
In
terms of minerals, the great talking point during the show was the new Hematite
with Rutile from Novo Horizonte. While this was not a real novelty, it was the
first time that they had been seen at a European show and they were a great success.
The fact that some of them were on matrix, the rutile crystals were thicker and
stronger than in previous finds, and they really are spectacular make this find
one that will be talked about for years to come.
From
Myanmar there were new, very interesting Elbaites (Rubellites) that are different
from those in previous finds. The Elbaites are in the form of spheres on white
calcite matrix, so the contrast between the white and red makes them very attractive.
The stand ready. Looking good.
As the stand is now set up we can
relax. Jordi and Parés kidding about.
Julia and Parés say hi to the camera.
China is without
doubt the leading country in the production of new material. So at Ste Marie there
were lots of Chinese dealers and collectors found lots to buy, either directly
from the Chinese or from other dealers who have good Chinese connections. Among
the newest finds from China the Molibdenite from Ghiuzhu was very notable, as
were the octahedral Fluorites with Spessartine from Yunling (Fujian), and the
good examples of Kesterite with Fluorapatite from Pingwu (Sichuan). While the
latter were not a true novelty, given their quality we can consider them to be
emblematic of this show. The huge range of Chinese minerals, of all sorts of qualities,
with all sorts of treatments (some less acceptable than others) really showed
what China is producing now a days.
In terms of
other classic localities, places such as Morocco and Panasqueira were not at their
best, although through careful and patient searching it was always possible to
find something of interest.
In
terms of other countries a wide variety of classic material was available. In
some cases these were as interesting, or even better, than the novelties of the
show. Pakistan stands out, with its excellent range of Pegmatite minerals and
its large number of rare-earth minerals from the Zagi Mountains.
As
far as Spain in concerned, you will need to have to allow me a brief mention of
the new Fluorites from La Collada that we offered. The best ones were snapped
up quickly, especially given their sea-blue color and the interesting form of
the crystals, which is different from that in previous finds.
The very well known
steps to the Theatre, inside which we have our stand.
The show is everywhere, so
it's almost impossible to move about.
At the end of the show we
have to work out how to pack the stuff back into the car. Tiredness does not help...
It's 11 at night and we have finished.
A well deserved
beer!
So Ste Marie 2004
has ended and, as usual, has left both collectors and dealers who attended the
show with a positive impression. So there is little doubt that most will come
back next year to what is without doubt the most pleasant of the major mineral
shows: Ste Marie-aux-Mines.
Jordi
Fabre
The Jordi Fabre Collection
The
Vault
Express Minerals
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Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2004
Ste Marie, the town where even the ore bins are
full of flowers.
(esta página en español)
To start with, here is an overview of the 2004 show. |
||
|
A pleasant corner of the French Alsace region... |
|
|
|
The stand ready. Looking good. |
|
|
As the stand is now set up we can relax. Jordi and Parés kidding about. |
Julia and Parés say hi to the camera. |
China is without
doubt the leading country in the production of new material. So at Ste Marie there
were lots of Chinese dealers and collectors found lots to buy, either directly
from the Chinese or from other dealers who have good Chinese connections. Among
the newest finds from China the Molibdenite from Ghiuzhu was very notable, as
were the octahedral Fluorites with Spessartine from Yunling (Fujian), and the
good examples of Kesterite with Fluorapatite from Pingwu (Sichuan). While the
latter were not a true novelty, given their quality we can consider them to be
emblematic of this show. The huge range of Chinese minerals, of all sorts of qualities,
with all sorts of treatments (some less acceptable than others) really showed
what China is producing now a days.
|
|
The very well known
steps to the Theatre, inside which we have our stand.
|
The show is everywhere, so it's almost impossible to move about. |
|
At the end of the show we have to work out how to pack the stuff back into the car. Tiredness does not help... |
It's 11 at night and we have finished. A well deserved beer! |
|
The Jordi Fabre Collection |
The Vault |
Express Minerals by C. Manresa |
Expominerals |
Updates |
Minerals - Virtual Museum(#MVM) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
| Home page Minerals | About Fabre Minerals | Comments | Friends of Minerals Forum | Feedback Form | Search |
| All pictures, text, design © Fabre Minerals 1996-2025 — On the web since 1996 |