FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Matt_Zukowski]

Thanks for elaborating Jordi.

I want to further say that i have not seen once piece with undamaged chalcopyrite. I have told the dealers I have seen that I would prefer less damage. The more that we as a group of collectors tell the dealers what we want, the more that the message will get from the dealers through the distributors to the miners that we want damage-free specimens. Now of course I understand that damage-free specimens are uncommon and hard to produce (Jesse always sets me straight on this issue ), but it is possible that people in other cultures/markets may not know how much we value damage-free/untreated specimens and so I believe it would be good that we keep on telling the dealers of our desires. Hope I am not too preachy on this subject, but I want to make sure the dealers all get the information back to the miners, if they have not already.

[Matt_Zukowski]

I really don't want t leave anyone out so another new dealer that I saw at the Inn Suites is Spirifer Minerals & Miner's Lunchbox (Scott Werchky). You can see nice vanadinites, Bulgarian minerals, and golds (Round Mountain and other) in this room. I was happy to meet here Tom and Asia who seem like great people, and I know Scott is one of those quiet and competent people you should always listen to.

[Jean Sendero]

A small add-on to Saturday evening report.

On Sunday I took the time to do a full tour at the Inn Suites and found more of the nice bluish green hemimorphite from Sta Eulalia in miniature size in Wrights Rock Shop room.

[Jesse Fisher]

To elaborate on what Jordi mentioned concerning specimen damage, almost nothing that we recover from the Rogerley is "perfect." This is because most of the pocket zone has undergone varying degrees of collapse and brecciation. No mater how carefully we extract the specimens, they have already suffered at the hands of nature. While I am sure that much damage is done to many specimens reaching the market by carelessness in recovery and subsequent handling, I think this human concept of "perfection" is something quite rarely found in any mineral deposit. The fact that we as collectors are becoming ever more obsessed with this idea that specimens must be prefect is driving both the rapid escalation in price of perfect and near perfect specimens, as well as the rapidly expanding business of specimen enhancement.

On the subject of Inner Mongolia, here is a photo of a fluorite specimen (with arsenopyrite) labeled as coming from the Chi Feng mine. I saw similar specimens in Munich with four-figure prices, but obtained this one at the InnSuites show for much less.

Cheers,
Jesse

[Jean Sendero]

One more thing, not a new "discovery" but you simply do not see those often on the market.

Dennis Beals showed me a small lot of 5 large miniatures (to 7 cm) azurite specimens from Mina Los Olivos in Chihuahua. The crystals aggregates have a superb blue coloration. They are surely different than the ones from Milpillas and not as spectacular, but we do not see specimens from this locality very often on the market. For the Mexican mineral aficionado, these are pretty and affordable.

Good Mexican minerals hunting.

Getting ready for the Westward Look starting on Friday. I came across Evan Jones on saturday and he showed me a few photos of two new specimens....OMG...smokers from Milpillas.

Cheers

[Philip Simmons]

Jesse,

I completely agree with you on the topic of perfection. I have field collected thousands of specimens as well, and I have very, very rarely discovered the "perfect" specimen. In fact, the vast majority have a ding here or a small fracture there which, I think, comes with the territory of collecting minerals. In my opinion, imperfections don't necessarily make the minerals less desirable, they just lead us to the conclusion that "perfect" minerals are very uncommon in their natural environment.

Philip

[Jean Sendero]

More from the Hotel Tucson City Center,

Earlier in the show a little angel told me to wait until Fabre Minerals opens and Jordi will have something new from Mexico that could be of interest. So, during my lunch break today, I left the office and drove down to the show to see Jordi room’s.

What’s new……, more than 20 specimens of mottramite from level 35 of Mina Ojuela,Mapimi Durango. These guys developed forming nice botryoidal or globular texture with the globules reaching 2 cm. Also, some developed as stalactites. The specimens are ranging from large miniature to super large cabinet.

To my knowledge, and the one from MinDat or the Min Rec Ojuela issue, mottramite is a new specie for Mina Ojuela.

Rumor is that the discovery occurred late in 2011 and early 2012 with only a single but large pocket. I have not seen other dealers with such material but the rumor is that a few other pieces escaped Jordi.

Also in Jordi’s room are some aurichalcite specimens on a light lime green austinite base. This is an uncommon association that makes for some pretty nice little specimens.

The close-off this late opener, he had a large cabinet specimen, that when under the sun required sunglasses to be look at. The crystals were so lustrous, sharp and un-damaged. A real smoker. A beautiful plate. I think that Jordi showed it to me simply to make me drool a little.

Cheers

[Jordi Fabre]

[Jordi Fabre]

Due a total absence of time I'm not very active this time publishing posts. I beg to all FMFers to help me a little bit and publish here their thoughts and feelings about this Tucson Show edition. Thank you!

Anyway, super-Gail already started her posts -> https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=21677#21677 , so the fun's level will increase a lot from now! ;-)

[Jesse Fisher]

Very few good English minerals to be found here at the show so far, but here are photos of some that I have seen around.

[Tobi]

I really like the fluorite from Inner Mongolia ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/files/img_0190r_195.jpg ) - wonderful combination with the arsenopyrite matrix!

[Jesse Fisher]

There was one Chinese dealer at the InnSuites show who had a number of the Inner Mongolian fluorites at prices much lower than I saw on equivalent specimens at Munich last October. On close inspection it seems that the matrix of these specimens (or at least the one I purchased) has a good bit of free sulfur in it, so will likely need some stabilizing when I get home.

[Jean Sendero]

Jesse,

indeed, one Chinese dealer had some, the word is had. They disappeared like little hot buns coming out of the oven. I wanted to show them to my son who collects only fluorite but by the time we got there, nada, all gone.

Cheers

[Woody Thompson]

Jesse,

Those English specimens are really nice! Thanks for posting the photos.

[Jean Sendero]

The Westwow Look show started today. Much bigger now moving from 25 dealers last years to 35 this year. I got there after lunch hoping that the big crowd would be gone. Wrong. There was still a lot of people. From a Mexican minerals perspective, really nothing that I consider new, but a few interesting pieces that likely came out of collections combined with some specimens that seem to be part of the décor, I saw them 2 years ago, last year and this year again. As expected at the Westward Look, the price tags are on the high side but so is the quality of the specimens.

So the usual suspects in greater abundance are the wulfenite from both Los Lamentos and San Francisco, some San Pedro Corralitos mimetite, a lot of silver from Batopilas and some amethyst from Guerrero.

Cal Graeber has some nice amethyst from Amatitlan. One specimen in particular is very lustrous with clear tips but a base that is very dark purple. Also, a silver the size of a mango in a quartz rich matrix rather than the usual calcite matrix.

Unique Minerals - Evans Jones, has the most interesting room when it comes to Mexican specimens. Of course a full cabinet of azurite, with a few brochantite specimens. On top of this, a smoking silver specimen just beside a smoking wulfenite from Los Lamentos.

The Mineral Gallery had a variety of specimens but the one that caught my eye was a Naica amethyst with galena.

So this is it for me right now.

And apologies for those of you who have no interest in Mexican minerals. More to come. I hope to go back on Sunday for another grazing period.