FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Jordi Fabre]

Barcelona 02/15/2011

An unexpected new find. Very peculiar Plancheites (analyzed) from some place around Musonoi MIne, Kolwezi, R.D. Congo. Not only peculiar, but also very nice!

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

[Joan Kureczka]

[Jordi Fabre]

Some images supplied for Jamie Newman, Senior Scientific Assistant of Minerals and Gems in the American Museum of Natural History, New York.

Thanks Jamie!

[Jordi Fabre]

One more image from Jamie
(the image of the Azurite is from Jean Sendero)

[Jordi Fabre]

Barcelona 02/17/2011

At the InnSuites-Tucson City Center Hotel during the breakfast time was a gratuity of the local newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star ( https://azstarnet.com/ - 240,000 readers)

I read it every day and I kept few news that I would like to share as a kind of "paper" vision of the Show and the Tucson's vicinity.

If the text is too small to be read you can use the zoom of your browser, the image size is enough to permit the read if using the zoom.

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

[Wilson Bonilla]

Hi Jordi:

It seems (the natural bat) like a very good joke!!, but I , as the mayority of people, like Azurite "THE BAT", very nice specimen!.

WILSON

[Lumaes]

Hi Jordi:

Love your newspaper articles, great in fact. My heart sunk when I saw the homeless person. It brings home the fact that not all people have the luxuries we take for granted. I know how he would feel. I have been in that position myself - long story though for another time and place.

[Jordi Fabre]

In this previous topic "Any chance you could bring a suite from those Polish granites to TGMS?" -> https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=15238 , Peter Megaw requested to Tomasz the possibility to display in future editions of the TGMS some of the wonderful Fluorites from Strzegom quarries, Poland.

I use the oportunity to show a fine example of this material, displayed in Tucson 2011

Jordi

[Joan Kureczka]

That Polish fluorite is indeed an extremely nice one, having seen Tomasz's display in Munich and acquiring a couple from him ourselves. Whose display was that in?

It sounds like one of the themes for 2013 will be fluorite, so we certainly encourage more fine displays from everyone, and especially our European friends, if possible.

[Jordi Fabre]

[Tomasz Praszkier]

I would like to thank you all very much for reporting Tucson Show. I was very upset that I can not go, and you help me to survive this hard time :-) In fact I was so unhappy that I went on trip to Mezica for underground collection. Rest of time I spent refreshing pages with reports :-)

[Jordi Fabre]

Barcelona 02/20/2011

Another novelty in Tucson 2011 were the Miersites (Ag,Cu)I on Cuprite crystals from Rubtsovskoye Mine, Rubtsovsk, Altai Kraj, Siberia, Russia.

Super for the species!

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

[Elise]

I am sitting here going through all the photos on these Tucson threads and remembering some of the fantastic mineral specimens at the shows, especially the Westward Look, but also around where we were staying at the Inn Suites. My own acquisitions were humble, a bit weird and so much fun to now be reflecting on. Most are inclusion specimens, some wonderful iris agates, a trapiche grossular garnet, some glass slag from Sweden (1600s) I'd been hunting for a sample of and several pieces of iridescent andradite garnet from New Mexico - including a cat's eye, a multi-star cabochon and the wonderful crystal cluster shown below. The junctions of the crystal faces are very iridescent while the faces appear almost to have a metallic luster in some light. The iridescence and chatoyancy are better appreciated in cut pieces (which I won't inflict on FMF members). There is a very good paper in Gems & Gemology Winter 2006 on these types of garnets and the causes of their optical phenomena and one in Lapidary Journal 2006 Vol 59 on the New Mexico andradites in particular.

Best wishes,
Elise

[Carles Millan]

For Jordi Fabre and Gail Spann

All the FMF members must be very grateful to both for the long hours you've spent putting together the huge amount of material from the Tucson show for us to read, see and enjoy. All of them who, like me, have not had the luck to attend the show, have been able to live it comfortably, without leaving home, even without standing up from their chairs. It seems incredible to me that you both, defying exhaustion, have been committed and strong enough to sit in front of your computer during many late evenings to post your daily report, without worrying about losing sleep.

Gail, congratulations for your new Wutong Princess rhodochrosite. I'm full of envy since it makes mine irrelevant. But this is a picture that most mineral collectors are already used to.

[Jordi Fabre]

Thanks Carles!

As the Gail's thread show so well, Tucson Show is not only mineralogy but the annual worlwide meeting point, and although some people don't consider this part as so important, I believe it is. The minerals are enough deedless by themselves, so let the humans use the warm friendship! ;-)

Jordi

[Darren]

[Jordi Fabre]

Barcelona 02/21/2011

Slowly, but I'm arriving to the Main Show. My next post will cover my ten favorites of the exhibits and my final conclusions about the Show. In the meantime here you have some images of the Tucson Convention Center.

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

[Jordi Fabre]

Barcelona 02/22/2011

Although the Ilvaites I saw were disapointing in this Tucson Show, considering that the majority had not luster and also considering its high price, we still have the hope that the iron mine in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, which supply these Ilvaites, could also supply other interesting species.

From that mine we noticed good Arsenopyrites, very promising octahedral Fluorites, and in the Main Show I also noticed that Euclases are present in this mine. The sample exhibited in the Main was not too bad, hopefully still better ones appear in the future.

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

[Philip Simmons]

[Jordi Fabre]

Barcelona 02/24/2011

This year the Main Show was well covered with a lot of infos either in this thread as well as in the monumental thread of Gail ( https://www.mineral-forum.com/message-board/viewtopic.php?p=16054#16054 ) so I prefer offer something very personal: my ten favourites between all specimens displayed in the Main Show showcases.

All specimens displayed there were great, some exceptional, some fabulous, but I don't tried to do a choice of the "really best" ones, but just the ones that for personal reasons I liked so much. No competition, is just my "heart's touch", nothing else! ;-)

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


All photos: Jordi Deusedes