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Western Europe Exhibits at the TGMS Show: Part 1

March 3, 2015 Hershel Friedman (0)

The central theme of this year's show, "Minerals of Western Europe," brought forth a dazzling array of rare and classic minerals. Though there are still new mineral finds in Europe, some of the oldest collectible minerals come from this historical region. Western Europe also presents the birthplace of the study of mineralogy, and produced some of the earliest mineral collectors.


The showcase exhibits at the Tucson show this year were indeed fascinating. Kudos to the organizers and exhibitors for putting together a fascinating and memorable display. The order of these pictures (as well as our other show posts) is not specific, and is the order of the photo taken. This was based on the exhibit availability to photograph without visitors or other photographers blocking my view. I had to come back to some cases several times to get it cleared for a photo.

Click on the images below for larger pictures. The pop-up pictures can also be downloaded in a higher resolution by right clicking them to save them locally.)

American Museum of Natural History
Minerals of Western Europe
American Museum of Natural History


Mineralogical & Geological Museum at Harvard University
Minerals of Western Europe
Mineralogical & Geological Museum at Harvard University


Carbonate Classics Europe Natural History Museum Los Angeles
Carbonate Classics of Western Europe
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County


Royal Ontario Museum
Minerals of Western Europe
Royal Ontario Museum


Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Crystalline Postcards from Europe
Denver Museum of Nature & Science


Colorado School of Mines
Western European Specimens
Colorado School of Mines


Colorado School of Mines
Minerals from England
Cincinnati Museum Center


Carnegie Museum of Natural History
European Classics from the William W. Jefferis Collection
Carnegie Museum of Natural History


Carnegie Museum of Natural History
European Classics from the J.T. Reeder Collection
A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, Michigan Tech University


Minerals from Greece Greek Rocks
Minerals from Greece
Greek Rocks


Panasqueira Mines Beira Baixa Portugal Luis Burillo Minerales
Minerals from the Panasqueira Mines, Beira Baixa, Portugal, and Spain
Luis Burillo Minerales


Panasqueira Mines Beira Baixa Portugal Luis Burillo Minerales
Minerals from the Swiss Alps
Siber+Siber Ltd., Switzerland


Panasqueira Mines Beira Baixa Portugal Luis Burillo Minerales
"Sucres" - Uninque "Gwindel" Quartz
[Unlabeled Case]


Minerals from Sweden
Minerals from Sweden
[Unlabeled Case]


Mineral Museum of Bonn, Germany
Mineral Classics of Germany
Mineral Museum of Bonn, Germany


Strontian and its Minerals, Natural Museum of Scotland
Strontian and its Minerals
Natural Museum of Scotland


London Natural History Museum
Frederick Noel Ashcroft Swiss Collection & Classic Alpine
London Natural History Museum


Strontian and its Minerals, Natural Museum of Scotland
Western Europe Minerals
Canadian Museum of Natutre


The 2015 TGMS Show: Dealer Minerals

March 3, 2015 Hershel Friedman (0)
As in previous years, my intention was to photograph interesting or new finds that dealers had to show me. I had arrived at the show early to get a press pass and spend the full day at the show, but I noticed with horror that my camera lens had snapped off its ring. I have a Nikon DSLR which I have used for the past four years to photograph the show, and my lens was cracked where it attaches to the camera mount, rendering it unusable. I don't recall banging it or anything, but the camera has gotten extensive usage over the years between all my various photography hobbies. The timing was awful, though.

I quickly left the show before even going in to find a BestBuy. I found one nearby, but they did not have the lens I needed, nor did they have any in stock in the entire Tucson area. Anyways, I had been thinking about getting a mirrorless camera with an interchangeable lens one of these days, and here was my opportunity. So I purchased their floor model for a very good price, but I had to learn how to use this new camera and the stock lens it came with very quickly. In the end, all worked out, thankfully, and virtually all of my photos with this new camera came out great.

This post features interesting dealer minerals from the show floor:
Click on the images below for larger pictures.

gold palladium uriman mine bolivar Venezuela
New find of natural alloy of Gold and Palladium, crystallized, from the Uriman Mine, Venezuela.
The Jungle Buyer (Alejandro Stern)
www.junglebuyergoldcrystals.com


the brick Fluorite chalcopyrite denton mine Illinois
Huge Fluorite with Chalcopyrite known affectionately as "The Brick."
From the Denton Mine, Hardin Co., Illinois.
Saga Minerals (Jared T. Freiburg)
www.sagaminerals.com



Fibrous, rare Halotrichite from Baiut, Maramures Co., Romania
Sprifer Minerals (Tomasz Praszkier)
www.spiriferminerals.com



Rare English Amethyst scepter.
From the Copper Hill Mine, Belstone, Devon, England
Edwards Minerals (Edward Rosenzweig)
www.edwardsminerals.com



Bright Orange Quartz Crystal Structure on Hematite.
From the JinalongFe Deposit, HeCon, Ma'anshan Prefecture, China
Green Mountain Minerals (Dylan and Nick Stolowitz)
www.greenmountainminerals.com



Lot of Deep Blue Azurite from the Nchanga Mine, Chingola, Zambia
Weinrich Minerals (Dan & Diana Weinrich)
www.weinrichmineralsinc.com



Individual Azurite from the above lot. Note the rich blue color!
Weinrich Minerals (Dan & Diana Weinrich)
www.weinrichmineralsinc.com



Bright blue Tanzanite in a beautifully contrasting white Quartz matrix.
These are rarely found in matrix, let alone with such an aesthetic one!
Unique Minerals (Evan Jones & Marc Miterman)
www.uniqueminerals.com



Hemispherical Malachite with excellent color from the Millpillas Mine in Mexico.
This mine has produced some of the best Azurite and Brochantite, but this Malachite is new to me.
Unique Minerals (Evan Jones & Marc Miterman)
www.uniqueminerals.com



Shattuckite pseudomorph of Malachite after Azurite from the Luputo Mine, Katango Zaire.
While excellent Shattuckites have been coming out of Zaire, this pseudomorph style is unique.
Mineral Classics (Brian Kosnar)
www.minclassics.com



Polished Shattuckite slab from the Tantara Mine, Katango Zaire.
Brian said they started polishing these specimens brought forth last year, and they look great!
Mineral Classics (Brian Kosnar)
www.minclassics.com



Old Classic Cerussite snowflake from Tsumeb
Mineral Classics (Brian Kosnar)
www.minclassics.com



Shattuckite that has been and Polished for Gemstone use
The Kosnars Discovered How to Stabilize and Polish these new Stones to the Market
Kosnar Gem Co (Brett Kosnar)
(Brett and Brian are brothers - Brett runs the mineral business, & Brian the gemstones.) www.kosnargemco.com



Rare Trapiche Emerald Among Other Emeralds from Colombia
These are Really Rare to Come Across!
Well Arranged Molecules (Kevin Downey)
www.wellarrangedmolecules.com



Greenockite from Summit, New Jersey
These are Rarely Available in Collections Today
The Mineral Cabinet (Bill Butkowski)
www.mineralcabinet.com



Amazonite from Konso, Ethiopia
It's Amazing How Similar These Look to the Colorado Crystals
Golden State Gem & Mineral (Richard Vogl)
www.goldenstategemmineral.com



Giant Fluorite with Calcite and Barite from the Denton Mine in Illinois.
The Sheet Size of this Fluorite Crystal is Astounding!
The Collector's Edge (Bryan Lees)
www.collectorsedge.com



Enormous plate of Amethyst from the Las Vigas Mine in Veracruz, Mexico
This is the Largest Specimen from this Mine I have Ever Seen!
The Collector's Edge (Bryan Lees)
www.collectorsedge.com



Two Exceptionally Large Crystals from Spodumene from Mawi, Afghanistan
Collector's Edge Always Impresses with the Sheer Size of their Specimens!
The Collector's Edge (Bryan Lees)
www.collectorsedge.com

The 2015 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show®

March 1, 2015 Hershel Friedman (0)
The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show® is the most important show in Tucson. Also known as the "Main Show" or the "Convention Center Show," this is the show that made Tuscon the mineral mecca that it is today. The show is organized by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society. Many of the large and important mineral dealers set up a booth at the show.

The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show® also has public exhibit showcases, put together by various collectors, museums, and mineral societies. These exhibits present the largest public exhibit of any show. Many of the exhibits feature a theme. This years' show theme was "Minerals of Western Europe." This brought forth exhibits of fascinating classic minerals, including many historical pieces and those from long exhausted localities.

Due to the large amount of footage I had taken at the show, I will divide the show reports for the Main Show into several sections:


To view additional news posts from the other shows in Tucson, click the links below:

Setting up the day prior to the show opening

The InnSuites Show - Individual Minerals

February 27, 2015 Hershel Friedman (0)
One of the things I now do at shows is ask dealers to show me anything new or interesting, which I take pictures of for our news posts. I did this at the InnSuites, and came back with some very interesting results.
Click on the images below for larger pictures.

tourmaline santa rosa mine brazil
Amazing Tourmaline in Quartz from the Santa Rosa Mine in Brazil.
This gemmy blue/green crystal was mined in 2014.
Crystal Springs Mining & Jewelry (Thomas Nagin)
www.crystalspringsmining.com


tourmaline santa rosa mine brazil
Another great Tourmaline in Quartz recently mined from the Santa Rosa Mine, Brazil.
Has a deep, emerald-green crystal perfectly jutting out of the Quartz matrix.
Crystal Springs Mining & Jewelry (Thomas Nagin)
www.crystalspringsmining.com


azurite Malbunka Copper Mine Australia
Two deep blue Azurite sun formations on Kaolinite in the shape of lips.
Mined at the Malbunka Copper Mine in Northern Territory, Australia
Crystal Classics (Ian Bruce)
www.crystalclassics.co.uk


amethyst calcite pseudomorph artigas uruguay
 Large, rounded Quartz pseudomorph after Calcite, with Amethyst, Rose Quartz,
and non-pseudomorphed Calcite. An oddity from Artigas, Uruguay.
Rocko Minerals (Rob Rosenblatt)
www.rockominerals.com


pyrhhotite trepca mine kosovo
A superb Pyrrhotite with an amazing 3D Texture from from the Trepca Mine, Kosovo.
North Star Minerals (Ross C. Lillie)
www.northstarminerals.com


cubic silver crystals indiana mine michigan
Well-crystallized, cubic Silver from the Indiana Mine, Ontonagon Co, Michigan
Silver in well-formed cubic crystals like this is extremely rare.
Hoghton Estate Sales (John Rascona)


pyrite cubes navajun spain
Beautiful {%Pyrite}% cubes in matrix from Navajun, Spain
These Pyrites were just featured in the Jan/Feb edition of Rocks & Minerals
Piritas de Navajun (Daniel Ulibarri)
www.piritasdenavajun.us



Very large Japan-Law Twin of a "Smoky" Citrine from Mansa, Zambia
This is one of the best crystals of the find.
Crystal Habit (Peter Beckwith)


stellerite sakur india
Large, aesthetic, peach-colored Stellerite from a new find in Sakur, India
Matrix India (M.F. and Sami Makki)
www.matrixindiaminerals.com


thomsonite sakur india
New find of large, round radiating brown Thomsonite, from Sakur, India
Matrix India (M.F. and Sami Makki)
www.matrixindiaminerals.com



New find of yellow Stolzite coating Scheelite on Quartz
from Mundo Nuevo, La Libertad, Peru
Jaroslov Hyrsl


tsavorite garnet crystals africa
A new find of water-clear Tsavorite Garnets with amazing clarity and luster, collected October 2014
Capetown Matrix Crystals (Patrick Meyer)


tsavorite garnet dodecahedral crystals africa
A beautiful dodecahedral Tsavorite crystal from the same find.
Capetown Matrix Crystals (Patrick Meyer)


crocoite adelaide mine australia
An Astonishingly Large and Brittle Crocoite Cluster Probably Over a Foot in Length
The Adelaide Mining Company (Adam Wright)
www.theadelaidemine.com


tourmaline alto ligonha mozambique
Beautiful and Large Tourmaline from Alto Ligonha, Mozambique
Geofil (Sebastian Rodriguez Rosa)


crystallized malachite mutanda mine congo
Crystallized Malachite from the Mutanda Mine, Congo
These are not pseudomorphs of Azurite but rather rare individual crystals
Voelter Minerals (Jon Voelter)
www.voelterminerals.com


amazonite crystal peak colorado joe dorris
Crystal cluster of Huge Amazonite crystals from Crystal Peak, Mt Antero, Colorado
These came from the Icon Pocket
Pinnacle 5 Minerals (Joe Dorris)
www.pinnacle5minerals.com


The InnSuites Show - Show Scenes & Mineral Lots

February 26, 2015 Hershel Friedman (0)

The InnSuites Show, officially known as the Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show, is organized every year by Martin Zinn Expositions LLC. The show is located in the Hotel Tucson City Center, and it is my favorite show after the main show in the convention center. The show is located on sprawling hotel grounds with hundreds of rooms, and almost all of the important dealers are present here selling out of their rooms. There are also ballrooms filled with dealers and tents in the outside parking areas. This show has a very laid-back environment, and a pleasant, friendly atmosphere.


This post brings forth show scenes at the InnSuites show, as well as mineral groups and lots.

Click on the images below for larger pictures.


Grounds of the InnSuites Hotel



Food Tent and People Lounging In the Open Areas



Large Crystals and Flyer Showing the New TV Series Mineral Explorers
Crystal Springs Mining & Jewelry (Thomas Nagin)
www.crystalspringsmining.com



Fossils and Books in the Fossil Hall
This area looks like a museum library



New Find of Hematite-stained red Quartz from Morocco, at Izizauen Alnif, near Tinejdad
Cornerstone Minerals (Greg Turner)
www.cornerstoneminerals.com



New Find of Dark Purple Fluorite from the Crystal Victory Mine, Hardin Co., IL
Allectoris Minerals (Rocko Rosenblatt and Kevin Downey)



Beautiful, Large Liddicoatite with Good Backlighting from Madagascar
Little Big Stone (Frederic Gautier)