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Bob Harman
Joined: 06 Nov 2015
Posts: 765
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Posted: Aug 23, 2019 10:10 Post subject: Colombian memories |
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Firmo,
I am interested in more info on your quartz postings: Collection of Firmo Espinar
Are they all or mostly self collected, purchased or otherwise obtained? If self collected, that would be nice. If otherwise obtained, as for example, gifts from some miners down there that would be interesting. BOB
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Firmo Espinar
Joined: 05 Apr 2017
Posts: 755
Location: Medellín, Colombia.
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Posted: Aug 25, 2019 15:31 Post subject: Re: Colombian memories |
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Hi Bob, how are you.
Always nice to hear from you.
Living in Bogotá i knew a dealer, my friend Ernesto, who sells specimens from Santander. It wasn´t easy cause Bogotá is really a huge city. Lately he said to me that all his pieces came from La Belleza (Santander Department).
Medellín is also a big city. After two years living in different city areas I got a nice apartment in the always dangerous but very entertaining downtown.
Just walking around the neighborhood in the Paseo de Junín I discovered the “Centro Artesanal Mi Viejo Pueblo” a very small shop, called “bubble” in Medellín, with a little showcase keeping some fine specimens from Muzo.
After this first joy I found other new bubble and a bigger shop nearby. Each brings quartz from a different place: San Cristobal (Suaita) and Bolívar.
Also the first Saturday every month close to my home in the Bolivar Park in front the Metropolitan Cathedral, we can enjoy the San Alejo market with second-hand goods, crafts, and some people who come down from the Antioquia´s mountain villages (montañeros) to sell some by products gold mines minerals and Indian handicrafts.
In San Alejo i´ve been able to get the quartz from Segovia, Buriticá and other sites I´ll share with you, usually offered by the miners families. They sell the junk of the gold mines from Antioquia.
And especially in San Alejo I get from Peñas Blancas in Boyacá Dept. This seller, Mauricio, travels four times a year to Peñas Blancas and Muzo looking for the novelties.
After three visits we already know each other and he brings me more carefully collected pieces.
I´ve visited gold mines but not quartz diggings.
Best regards.
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Firmo Espinar
Joined: 05 Apr 2017
Posts: 755
Location: Medellín, Colombia.
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Posted: Aug 25, 2019 16:30 Post subject: Re: Colombian memories |
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Some views of the Paseo de Junín, the Metropolitan Cathedral and San Alejo market.
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Medellín. The Metropolitan Cathedral. |
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Medellín. The Metropolitan Cathedral. |
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Medellín. The Metropolitan Cathedral in San Alejo. |
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Medellín. The Metropolitan Cathedral view from my building. |
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Medellín. Paseo de Junín. |
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Medellín. Paseo de Junín. |
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Medellín. Paseo de Junín. |
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Medellín. Downtown inhabitant with a big Magnetite. |
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Bob Harman
Joined: 06 Nov 2015
Posts: 765
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Posted: Aug 25, 2019 16:56 Post subject: Re: Colombian memories |
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FIRMO,
Thank you for bringing me up to date and your photos. All most interesting.
You see, when I was in my medical practice (I am now retired), one of my younger partners, who became a very close friend, was born and raised in Cartagena. Both he and his wife were from there.
This has to do with minerals as he became interested in my collection. He knew of a few folks (thru his parents, I think) in the Colombian mining industry who sent him their self-mined quartz examples every so often. I was impressed by the gifts given to him from the miners even 25 years ago. Keep showing us your examples! BOB
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Firmo Espinar
Joined: 05 Apr 2017
Posts: 755
Location: Medellín, Colombia.
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Posted: Aug 26, 2019 11:01 Post subject: Re: Colombian memories |
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Hi Bob.
Cartagena is known as “The Pearl of the Caribbean”.
We have in the spanish side a retired doctor as you with a nice collection, but he purchases and you are mainly field collector.
You must always haggle down the prices, but the sellers give me some gift when i buy a good number of quartzs.
San Alejo Market on a rainy day.
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Medellín. San Alejo Market on a rainy day. |
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Medellín. San Alejo Market on a rainy day. |
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Medellín. San Alejo Market on a rainy day. |
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Medellín. San Alejo Market on a rainy day. |
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Firmo Espinar
Joined: 05 Apr 2017
Posts: 755
Location: Medellín, Colombia.
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Posted: Aug 26, 2019 16:02 Post subject: Re: Colombian memories |
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I´m sorry that these are not mineral pictures but it´s worth it that you know these unique products in the world: the Indian handicrafts called “mola” made by Guna (or Kuna) Indians.
The guna women use these in the top of their dresses. These molas are cut from the original dress.
At the beginning they were geometrical drawings exclusively. Nowadays they make symmetric models with animals, mainly birds. South America is the continent of birds and the Kuna have thousands of natural ideas.
Made with various cloths they are colorful, and the examples i´ve found in Medellín´s San Alejo are the nicest I´ve seen in Colombia because the Guna live in northern Antioquia and El Chocó Department, on the border between the two countries Panamá and Colombia.
They inhabit in the Darién Gap a swampy jungle that is impenetrable. Here stops the PanAmerican Highway. It represents an insurmountable point with no roads due the impenetrability of the jungle and its abundant natural and human hazards.
Somebody thinks that The Darién Gap is really all that's left of untouched jungle in the world...
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Mola. Guna (Kuna) Indians. Unguía. El Chocó Department. Colombia. |
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Mola. Guna (Kuna) Indians. Unguía. El Chocó Department. Colombia. |
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Mola. Guna (Kuna) Indians. Unguía. El Chocó Department. Colombia. |
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Mola. Guna (Kuna) Indians. Unguía. El Chocó Department. Colombia. |
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Mola. Guna (Kuna) Indians. Unguía. El Chocó Department. Colombia. |
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Mola. Guna (Kuna) Indians. Unguía. El Chocó Department. Colombia. |
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Mola. Guna (Kuna) Indians. Unguía. El Chocó Department. Colombia. |
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