FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Matt_Zukowski]

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[Matt_Zukowski]

Thanks Chris for the encouragement. I do not know who the owners were. Sorry.

[Matt_Zukowski]

A couple of pieces from Wayne Thompson and Rob Lavinsky that caught my interest.

[Matt_Zukowski]

The next set of picts comes from an intriguing case showing a collection assembled in the 18th & 19th centuries. It is great being able to see what people were able to amass back then.

A case like this causes me to reflect on where we are in mineral collecting history. Sometimes I think we are in a golden age of mineral specimen production. The internet has allowed people all over the world to see the value of mineral specimens. Although this has raised prices at the source (and probably decreased the competitive advantages of Indiana Jones types), it creates a pull that makes more people spend more time on collecting and preserving mineral specimens. This incents small artisanal specimen producers. At the same time, I wonder if there is more contract mineral collection at large mines, since the rise of the price of mineral specimens makes such sidelines at major mines worth the small production disruptions they may cause. Mineral specimen price inflation may be a double edged sword in that I want more for my mineral dollar but at the same time high prices attract more efforts at bringing mineral specimens to market. What do you think?

[Matt_Zukowski]

Now...the picts.

[Matt_Zukowski]

Just some more TGMS 2011 picts

[Matt_Zukowski]

Before i forget, I like to acknowledge the efforts of Peter Megaw, who facilitated the exhibition of all these wonderful specimens as the exhibits chair of TGMS 2011. Thanks.

[Matt_Zukowski]

I posted previously Wayne Sorensen's display at the Westward Look on collector's day. The photo's I took then were with my iphone. We got another chance to look at Wayne's great collection at TGMS, and hopefully my pictures, taken with a regular camera, will better capture them.

[Jordi Fabre]

[Matt_Zukowski]

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[Matt_Zukowski]

more from Wayne Sorensen

[Matt_Zukowski]

Minerals from the new cuprite locality at Rubtsovskoe. Also seen are copper, copper pseudomorphs after cuprite, azurite, halides like marshite, and others.

[Jordi Fabre]

Barcelona 02/27/2011

These are my final conclusions about Tucson 2011, and with them I will finish my contributions to this thread. But this does not mean that the thread is locked, anyone with photos or something more to say can continue posting here, all such postings will more than welcome.

It seems a common opinion that this Tucson edition has been better in economic terms than previous years and, contrary to everything that was thought to happen, it appears that the finest specimens sold well although they were very expensive (or terribly expensive ;-)

About novelties, two of them seem to have been highlights: the new Cuprites from Rubtsovskoye replaced by Copper and/or with Miersite, Marshite or Silver, and with all kind of sizes and qualities; and the very spectacular Zoisites (Tanzanites) with Prehnite crystals in a Calcite matrix and with a much better natural color than we are accustomed to seeing. Unfortunately, there were just a few pieces, about forty in all, of these Tanzanites and their prices were very high but, as I said earlier, this year in Tucson the finest pieces were an easy sell.

Added to these two major novelties have been several more novelties like the attractive Plancheites from Musonoi, Chrysocollas after Boleite from the Amelia Mine, Despujolsites and huge Bixbyites from N'Chwaning II, many Ilvaites and new octahedral Fluorite and Arsenopyrites from Baotou, China, Pyromorphites from Rum Jungle, Australia, and a choice of Alabandites from Peru. Azurites from Milpillas, Jeremejevites on matrix from Erongo, Geikeilites from Zlatoust, Russia ... not too bad a year in this aspect.

Prices, the hot topic of this Show and from many other Shows…
Honestly at this point, and after all this time commenting that the prices seemed too variable and that very similar specimens are sometimes priced at $100 or $10000 (US), depending on who sold it, I give up, I surrender, and I no longer will try to understand anything, and I defer to the opinion of many in the USA: each salesperson asks the price he wants and every buyer pays what he believes is reasonable.

I know this mentality is very American and it sounds strange to Europeans, but remember, we are talking about Tucson, Arizona, USA! ;-)

See you next year!

Jordi
2011 European correspondent of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show™

[Rosemary Miranda]

[vic rzonca]

Great shot of the architectural contrasts, Jordi. I swear I've been past that spot dozens of times and never appreciated the view. Thanks for slowing it down!