FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[bob kerr]

Also in the Escaut Mineral room was their cabinet full of nice mineral that are being auctioned off on their Catawiki auction website. Worth a checkout.

[bob kerr]

Brazilin and Uruguayan Amethyst is usually considered a commodity material - but when they come is a truly rich, deep purple color - sometimes with Calcite - they are special specimens. The Gruta Minerals dealership has two localities - one in Min City and another in the tent north of B2B Minerals - and they are selling wonderful specimens by the gram!! Specimens by weight are usually a winner if you can find them.

[bob kerr]

Speaking of selling specimens by weight, Marco Tironi in his main room at Min City was selling a new find of Heliodor from Padre Paraiso, Brazil. These are all totally etched specimens and fully gemmy. These were being sold by the gram, and you could pick how much you wanted to spend by choosing the proper specimen size and shape. They were ALL wonderful.

The zone changed color with depth and ranged from rich yellow, to paler yellow to a pale green. A unique find.

[bob kerr]

We're getting ready for the TGMS "Main" Show so I thought I'd provide photos of some special specimens seen in the area around the old Inn Suites (aka HTCC) where Crystal Classics, Fine Minerals International and the Granada Gallery are located. These dealerships provide top end minerals for the collector world.

First - the Crystal Classics Building that not only houses Crystal Classics but also Collector's Edge, Nick Stolowitz and Scott Rudolph among others.

[bob kerr]

Next - Collectors Edge who are selling part of the Jim and Gail Spann Collection.

[bob kerr]

Now on to Scott Rudolph's room.

[bob kerr]

And finally, these incredibly large Congolese Dioptase crystals.

[bob kerr]

And now a dozen photos of some excellent specimens seen in the Fine Minerals International Building - The White House - of Daniel Trincillo.

[bob kerr]

And - a dozen more photos - this time from the Granada Gallery.

[bob kerr]

Wednesday, Feb 12 - setup day for the TGMS Main Show. A very tiring day for all involved. Right behind the Carnegie Museum Awards Case that I was installing was Christoph Gobin setting up a large "green" case of Malachites from the Congo but the centerpiece was a massive, on-matrix Carrolite that Christoph said came out over 25 years ago and was in hiding ever since.

[Firmo Espinar]

Thank you Bob.

I’m enjoying your nice report.

[bob kerr]

[bob kerr]

Today - Thursday Feb 13 - was the first day of the TGMS "Main" Show. - and walking in from the middle stairway one's eye was immediately drawn to three cases on the corner of one row. The cases were entered for The Desaultels Trophy - for "The Best Rocks in a Case" - and these three cases are going to make the judging a challenge.

The first case show was entered by James Webb. The other will follow..

[bob kerr]

Next is the case entered by Jeff Lines. People were talking about his Lindstrom entry (the incredible Willemite) but I really liked the Dalnegorst ultra clear Fluorite cubes in the first row.

[bob kerr]

And onto the case entered by Kevin Brown - this will probably be the case favored to win but... you never know.