| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
 Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:11 Post subject: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
Each first week-end of August, collectors from France, Italy and Switzerland meet at Chamonix, a small town nested below Europe's highest mountain : the Mont Blanc. Here for 2 days, you can meet friends, enjoy exhibits, and of course, buy some minerals from both the area or from a bit far away.
The show is organized by the mineralogical club of the city. Amongst other things the club is also involved as adviser for the purchase of the specimens hosted by the museum. This year the museum hosts a temporary exhibit about Napoleon's Quartz. Unfortunately as I only stayed one day, I didn't have time to visit the museum. If you are interested in by this exhibit, you can have a look at the museum's web site :
https://www.chamonix.com/espace-tairraz-musee-des-cristaux,museums-and-exhibitions,48-8-3129-sitraPCU369956,en.html
(link normalized by FMF)
Before getting in, a look at the mountains above us. Some of them host specimens the valley is famous for : smoky quartz & fluorite
| Description: |
| Mont-Blanc with the Bossons' glacier ice fall. |
|
| Viewed: |
41354 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| The "Plan de l'aiguille" between l'Aiguille du Midi on the right side and "Le Montenvers" on the left side. |
|
| Viewed: |
41339 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| L'Aiguille Verte. This is in this area that were collected the fluorite specimens displayed later on, in the exhibit part of this report. |
|
| Viewed: |
41341 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41364 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41329 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Amongst the many dealers salling international specimens I spotted these 3 from Peru. The first one is a Quartz & Hubnerite specimen. |
|
| Viewed: |
41296 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| An unexpected one : scheelite on high temperature quartz. Quite unusual. |
|
| Viewed: |
41296 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Or this one. A large cabinet specimen having transparent quartz with green fluorite. |
|
| Viewed: |
41306 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:19 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
But the main reason of attending this show remains the specialties of the area : smoky quartz & fluorite.
| Description: |
| Plenty of choice with prices ranging from a few euros to several thousands |
|
| Viewed: |
41377 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| A large (very large) group of smoky quartz. Look at the lonely crystal on the right side to get the scale. From memory it was of about 5 cm. |
|
| Viewed: |
41303 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41273 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41358 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41349 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Another smoky quartz group |
|
| Viewed: |
41293 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Beautiful Gwindel from the Aiguille Verte area. The kind every collector would like to have in his/her collection. |
|
| Viewed: |
41305 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:30 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
Despite good conditions in the mountains above until July 20th, nothing really new was offered for sale this year. So I've had more time to take some pictures of the prestige exhibits.
This year the prestige exhibits consisted in :
- A recent discovery in the "Bassin de l'Argentière" (Argentière Basin) area : "sucres", Gwindel, Tourmaline, Green fluorite.
- Mineral from Switzerland
- Pyromorphite from Les Farges
- And of course specimens from both private collections / strahlers and from the club.
1- Argentière Basin's discovery :
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41303 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41320 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| "Sucre", Tourmaline needles |
|
| Viewed: |
41344 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41329 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41336 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41311 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41312 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41327 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:39 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
2- Private Collections and specimens from the club :
| Description: |
| Fluorite and smoky quartz from the Aiguille Verte's area... |
|
| Viewed: |
41314 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41329 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41328 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| The best specimen from the Aiguille Verte displayed this year (from my point of view) |
|
| Viewed: |
41306 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41342 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| A closer look at the smoky group |
|
| Viewed: |
41265 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41297 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Interesting specimen from the Italian side of the Mont-Blanc. |
|
| Viewed: |
41265 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Back to France with this great faden quartz |
|
| Viewed: |
41307 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41321 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41292 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41308 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:42 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
| Description: |
| Another specimen from Italy. One Italian strahler was salling specimens like this one during the last Ste Marie show. |
|
| Viewed: |
41317 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:50 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
3- Switzerland exhibit : have a look at some specimens. They are really impressive. Please note the Phenacite from Fiesch or the "sucres" from Guivgletscher, Grisons.
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41268 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41269 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41228 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Original specimen : why did the chlorite only covered half of the fluorites and not all of them ? |
|
| Viewed: |
41304 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41193 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41207 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41215 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41224 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41211 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41234 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41181 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41205 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:57 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41202 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41200 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Window Quartz and Amethyst |
|
| Viewed: |
41218 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41240 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41195 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41237 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
| Note the Hematite rosette, differents from the Cavradi equivalent on the following picture. |
|
| Viewed: |
41268 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41232 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41221 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41172 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41220 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41189 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 13:58 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
| Description: |
| Impressive Phenacite specimen from Switzerland. |
|
| Viewed: |
41260 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41256 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 14:01 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
4- And to complete this report, a few pictures of pyromorpĥite from Les Farges, France and one from Chaillac (brown pyro).
Christophe
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41210 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41208 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41199 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41201 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41229 Time(s) |
|
| Description: |
|
| Viewed: |
41219 Time(s) |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pete Richards
Site Admin
Joined: 29 Dec 2008
Posts: 843
Location: Northeast Ohio
|
| Posted: Aug 09, 2010 14:08 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
Please explain the terms "sucre" and "old sugar". I presume they are related. I can't tell from context whether they refer to gwindels, closed gwindels, quartz in general, or
pretty rocks.
_________________
Collecting and studying crystals with interesting habits, twinning, and epitaxy |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 10, 2010 01:53 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
I do not know the accurate English translation of the term "sucre", sugar in English (maybe Jordi knows it), but it refers to closed Gwindel.
Christophe
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Matt_Zukowski
Site Admin
Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 737
Location: Alaska
|
| Posted: Aug 10, 2010 02:40 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
| Nice picts - thanks for sharing
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 5025
Location: Barcelona
|
| Posted: Aug 10, 2010 03:41 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
| chris wrote: | | I do not know the accurate English translation of the term "sucre", sugar in English (maybe Jordi knows it), but it refers to closed Gwindel. |
Correct, "sucre" is a local French name for a closed gwindel without direct translation to English language, so "sucre" = closed gwindel.
BTW great reportage Chris, thank you for it.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Pete Richards
Site Admin
Joined: 29 Dec 2008
Posts: 843
Location: Northeast Ohio
|
| Posted: Aug 10, 2010 11:02 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
Well, it's an appropriate term - those closed gwindels are really sweet!
_________________
Collecting and studying crystals with interesting habits, twinning, and epitaxy |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
|
| Posted: Aug 13, 2010 11:30 Post subject: Re: Chamonix 2010 |
|
|
A few more pictures of the prestige exhibits are available on the French Mineralogical Form, Geoforum at the following address :
https://www.geoforum.fr/index.php?showtopic=17111&st=54
(link normalized by FMF)
Christophe
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ 
Register
Log in
Forgotten your password?
