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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 12, 2024 16:19 Post subject: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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Every New Year's Eve, we watch Sidney and Melbourne celebrate the arrival of the new year first - and, similarly, the first of the international dealers arriving for the upcoming Tucson Shows is from Australia - that of course is Adam Wright of the Adelaide Crocoite Mine in Tasmania.
This year he unpacked the first specimens from a new zone he calls the Red River Falls - "Falls" because there's water flowing down from a number of points in the roof of the mine - and the crocoite is quite special from this zone - good sized crystals, great luster, color and clean terminations - somewhat similar to the great 1970's finds. Only a few of the new specimens display the large crystals - but these are among the best ever. A few photos are attached. According to Adam this zone should continue on for a while - he had to stop mining to get to Tucson.
AND - what was previously Mike New's Top Gem business - now B2B Minerals directly across Oracle Road from Mineral City - will celebrate a "Soft Opening" with a Mexican Lunch and Mariachi Band - January 23.
LOTS more to follow - and I was notified that the proverbial Clive Quiet from South Africa will be missing this year's show due to health - well over 40 years of mineral dealing - he will be missed. However, his room in the B2B Annex will be open and run by his partner Tony. Scheduled to open on the 15th.
bob
Mineral: | crocoite |
Locality: | Adelaide Mine, Dundas mineral field, Zeehan District, West Coast Council, Tasmania, Australia |  |
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Adam and a new Red River Falls specimen |
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Mineral: | crocoite |
Locality: | Adelaide Mine, Dundas mineral field, Zeehan District, West Coast Council, Tasmania, Australia |  |
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Description: |
Adam and a new Red River Falls specimen |
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16653 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | crocoite |
Locality: | Adelaide Mine, Dundas mineral field, Zeehan District, West Coast Council, Tasmania, Australia |  |
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Description: |
The Red River Falls zone in-situ |
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16669 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 14, 2024 18:13 Post subject: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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Adam provided me with an in-situ video of the Red River Falls zone. Note the water falling - and this video was taken after the flow rate subsided significantly.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QCkDJZAontU
(link normalized by FMF)
bob
(the youtube link to the right of the posting would not accept this??)
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum

Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 4950
Location: Barcelona



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Posted: Jan 15, 2024 03:50 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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bob kerr wrote: |
(the youtube link to the right of the posting would not accept this??)
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Unfortunately not, because your YouTube is created using the new
/shorts/
system of YouTube, which FMF's current setup does not recognize yet.
We will see if we can enable it.
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 15, 2024 19:10 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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The Top Gem annex room of South African Clive Quiet opened (kinda) this morning to quite a crowd. (Due to illness Clive remained in South Africa.)
He had quite a few flats of Congo dioptase as well as some larger pieces - Many of these are partially coated with malachite making for a nice green on green contrast and I was lucky enough to get the one nice "malachite after barite on dioptase" specimen in the flats - I wish there were more of these!
The other interesting finds from The Congo were reasonably priced specimens of botryoidal malachite and quartz on matrix - see photos.
Otherwise, there were LOTS of cactus quartz which were being picked up by dealers rapidly and LOTS of lustrous schorl from Erongo in all sizes - one dealer claimed all of the larger specimens - maybe 20.
I said he "kinda" opened because apparently the contract does not permit selling until this coming Friday so the owner of the annex had everyone leave after maybe 2 hours. More this Friday.
bob
Mineral: | Dioptase and Malachite on Chrysocolla |
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Mineral: | Malachite on Dioptase |
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15960 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Botryoidal Malachite and Quartz |
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Mineral: | Botryoidal Malachite and Quartz |
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15959 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Malachite after Barite on Dioptase |
Description: |
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15975 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 18, 2024 21:18 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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I walked around the Mineral City area today and it's just too early - a few dealers are setting up but few are ready to open.
I did go over to the Top Gem annex again and re-acquainted myself with the Ramos' who just arrived from Peru and plan to partially open this Saturday.
And - to my pleasant surprise the room of Clive Quiet was open - recall that they were told to close this past Monday but the owner of the building has relented.
I noted three nice Fluorite options available - I'll start with the VERY interesting Eroongo fluorites on Schorl that were available although it was clear from the open spots that they were already picked from a good bit. The one's left were cabinet size and above but quite nice - see photos.
I'll present two other nice fluorite options in the following posts.
bob
Mineral: | Fluorite on Schorl |
Description: |
Large plate of schorl dotted with distinct and unique Erongo green fluorites - about $1100 |
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Mineral: | Fluorite on Schorl |
Description: |
distinctive Erongo Flourites on Schorl matrix - about $450 |
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15633 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Fluorite - back lit |
Description: |
Back-lit fluorite showing color and xl form. |
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15644 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 18, 2024 21:27 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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For the second fluorite option, Clive had vivid blue Fluorites from Afghanistan (no other local details given) many of which are preferentially coated with yellowish calcite. These are mostly in remarkably good condition and are quite reasonably priced. See photos.
bob
Mineral: | Blue Fluorite |
Description: |
no other locality detail given |
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15687 Time(s) |

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No other locality detail given |
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15704 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Blue Fluorite back-lit |
Locality: | Afghanistan |  |
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Description: |
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15621 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 18, 2024 21:36 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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For the third and final fluorite option - these are from the Lupita Mine in Mapimi, Durango, MX. The purple balls are sprinkled over a quartz matrix and the balls are then again sprinkled with minor quartz. The owner Jose' attempted to remove the small quartz sprinkles with mixed results. Best to leave mother nature alone here. A back-lit photo showing color and crystal form is included.
more in the next few days,
bob
Mineral: | Fluorite with Quartz |
Locality: | Lupita Mine, Descubridora mining district, Buruguilla, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico |  |
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15635 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Fluorite |
Locality: | Lupita Mine, Descubridora mining district, Buruguilla, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico |  |
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15663 Time(s) |

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topgem
Joined: 01 Mar 2013
Posts: 2
Location: Tucson


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Posted: Jan 21, 2024 03:21 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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bob kerr wrote: |
AND - what was previously Mike New's Top Gem business - now B2B Minerals directly across Oracle Road from Mineral City - will celebrate a "Soft Opening" with a Mexican Lunch and Mariachi Band - January 23.
bob |
Hey just to be VERY clear...this is Jason New, Mike New's son and former manager of Top Gem. Justin's new venture B2B minerals has nothing to do with Top Gem, it isn't the same stock, I sold all of it in a fire sale. I wanted to change direction but the landlord said he wouldn't renew my lease if I did that, so I let the whole thing die. It was better that way. Without my Dad to steward the situation, and with me being 1000 miles away in Denver with my own business, I was happy to let it die rather than bow to someone uninvolved telling me how to run my dad's business.
I know it's known as the Top Gem area, rightly so, but let's just be as clear as we can. there is NOTHING left of Top Gem or its principles, its material, or its leadership. I have nothing to do with it either and greatly prefer it that way. I couldn't stand behind what happened at all.
Just so we are clear that if people go there expecting a Top Gem like experience they will be SORELY disappointed.
Otherwise, carry on!
Jason New
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James Catmur
Site Admin

Joined: 14 Sep 2006
Posts: 1430
Location: Cambridge



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Posted: Jan 21, 2024 05:23 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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Jason
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. 'Changing of the guard' in a business can be difficult (our family business - Catmur Machine Tools - did not survive the loss of my uncle, with >200 people made redredundant
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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 21, 2024 23:00 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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There are still only a few rooms open but as has been the case in the past, Wendy and John Zhou of Wendy's Minerals is fully open and as is always the case they have some new material brought back from their trips to China.
I put notes in the photos below.
bob
Mineral: | Fluorite two generations |
Description: |
Wendy with a HUGE plate of two generations of fluorite with different colors.
Regrettably all of her smaller pieces were purchased by a dealer. |
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15114 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Fluorite |
Locality: | Huanggang Mines, Hexigten Banner (Kèshíkèténg Qí), Chifeng (Ulanhad), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China |  |
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Description: |
Unique elongated fluorite xls from Huanggang - yes, it's still producing some nice specimens, but it also has slowed significantly. |
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15124 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Fluorite |
Locality: | Yaogangxian Mine, Yizhang, Chenzhou Prefecture, Hunan Province, China |  |
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Description: |
More elongated fluorite xls this time from Yaogangxian. |
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15134 Time(s) |

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Description: |
Very nice fluorite cubes with rich phantoms. |
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15140 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Quartz |
Locality: | Huanggang Mines, Hexigten Banner (Kèshíkèténg Qí), Chifeng (Ulanhad), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China |  |
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Description: |
This is a HUGE Japanese Law twin from Huanggang. The largest "wing" is about 14 cm! |
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15097 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Chalcopyrite on Calcite |
Description: |
Unique chalcopyrite triangles on sheafs of calcite. |
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15115 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Calcite fowers on Fluorite |
Locality: | Yiwu, Jinhua Prefecture, Zhejiang Province, China |  |
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Description: |
Wonderful calcite "roses" scattered over deep purple fluorite - wonderful contrast. |
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15113 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 21, 2024 23:14 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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As we discussed extensively in last year's Tucson report, there are a number of dealers selling these "Fluorite Loops" as natural specimens. By now it's well known that these are carvings and some of the earliest "victims" of this fraud were Rudolf's Minerals. Well, they have recovered most of their losses and now have two flats of these that will be wholesaled.
They were selling individual "carvings" for $50 so I had to buy one for my fraud collections.
I hope no one falls for these - they are simply carvings (done with a bead gun?) and not natural specimens.
bob
Mineral: | "Loop" fluorite carvings by the flat |
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15092 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | "Loop fluorite" |
Description: |
Note the small botryoidal fluorite on the lower right of the carving - probably natural. |
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15125 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 23, 2024 18:51 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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LOTS of happenings going on in and around the Mineral City area.
The Mineral City manager Graham Sutton has definitely spruced things up a good bit and the name flags on each room helps tremendously.
Also, the B2B Mineral business in the old Top Gem building resurrected a tradition established by Mike and Jason New and offered a wonderful Mexican lunch complete with Mariachi Band. Usually, the typical sunny weather makes this a wonderful way to spend the lunch hour - with a cold beer in hand - but the cool weather made things a bit different. HOWEVER, the Gods that be permitted a gap in the rain so that all there could enjoy the chicken enchiladas in a dry environment.
A good bit of new material was offered by B2B but the only thing I found of interest was some Ojuela Chalcophanite - see photo.
more to follow,
bob
Mineral: | Mineral City wall painting |
Locality: | Arizona, USA |  |
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Description: |
A mural painted on the D-Building wall next to the A-Building |
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14670 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Mineral City wall painting |
Description: |
A mural painted on the D-Building wall next to the A-Building |
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14687 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Mexican lunch courtesy of B2B Minerals |
Locality: | Arizona, USA |  |
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14681 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Chalcophanite |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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Viewed: |
14666 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 23, 2024 19:02 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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In the room of Unique Minerals - Evan Jones and Mark Mitterman - I found a wall of brilliant blue shattuckite with quartz druze from the Milpillas Mine - Milpillas never ceases to amaze!
Additionally, there were the usual top-level specimens available - a few shown below.
Mineral: | Shattuckite with quartz druze |
Locality: | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico |  |
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14712 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Shattuckite with quartz druze |
Locality: | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico |  |
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14707 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Linarite and Anglesite |
Locality: | Grand Reef Mine, Laurel Canyon, Grand Reef Mountain, Klondyke, Aravaipa District, Graham County, Arizona, USA |  |
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Description: |
Is there a better blue than Grand Reef Linarite? |
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14725 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Cuprite and Brochantite |
Locality: | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
An extremely rare association - Milpillas continues to amaze. |
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14714 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 23, 2024 19:26 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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Sharing a room with James Hall of the Noth Carolina's Reef Mine (see last year's report) is John Cornish. Up until this year John was working for The Arkenstone but now he has decided to set up business on his own.
In the room were this year's supply of those wonderful "azurite suns" from the Malbunka Mine in Australia. These were mined by Dehne and Maureen McLaughlin who also sold them previously, but John has taken over the duty.
John was also showing off an incredible double terminated apatite from the Himalaya Mine extracted in 2013 - see photos.
This room was set up last year by James Hall who filled it with lots of wonderful amethysts from The Reef Mine in North Carolina. This year he filled half of it with all new material. See photos.
Mineral: | John Cornish |
Description: |
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14687 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Apatite |
Locality: | Himalaya Mine, Gem Hill, Mesa Grande District, San Diego County, California, USA |  |
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Description: |
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14665 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Apatite |
Locality: | Himalaya Mine, Gem Hill, Mesa Grande District, San Diego County, California, USA |  |
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Description: |
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14696 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | James Hall |
Locality: | Reel Mine, Iron Station, Lincoln County, North Carolina, USA |  |
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Description: |
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14683 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Amethyst |
Locality: | Reel Mine, Iron Station, Lincoln County, North Carolina, USA |  |
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Description: |
A beautiful amethyst "rose" |
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14675 Time(s) |

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bob kerr

Joined: 13 Nov 2011
Posts: 594
Location: Monroeville PA



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Posted: Jan 23, 2024 20:28 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2024 - It's started! |
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It's always a pleasure to visit the room of Valenzuela's Minerals who specialize in all things Mexican but especially Milpillas. It's pure "eye candy" with all the electric blue azurites from Milpillas.
This year they also have an equally (to Unique Minerals) impressive display of shattuckite most of which are covered in a wonderful quartz druze from Milpillas.
Additionally, they were displaying some new calcites from Chihuahua that resemble those from the Rudnyi find of many years ago - see photos.
And Alehandro was proudly showing his excellent Ojuela Cerussite sixling in a protective vug. See photos.
more to come,
bob
Mineral: | Shattuckite with quartz druze |
Locality: | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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14642 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Shattuckite with quartz druze |
Locality: | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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14673 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Azurite |
Locality: | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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14650 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Azurite |
Locality: | Milpillas Mine, Cuitaca, Municipio Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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Viewed: |
14648 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Cerussite |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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Viewed: |
14635 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Cerussite |
Locality: | Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Municipio Mapimí, Durango, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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Viewed: |
14641 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Calcite |
Locality: | El Bolivar Mine, Piedras Verdes (Triguito), Municipio Urique, Chihuahua, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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Viewed: |
14663 Time(s) |

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Mineral: | Calcite |
Locality: | El Bolivar Mine, Piedras Verdes (Triguito), Municipio Urique, Chihuahua, Mexico |  |
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Description: |
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Viewed: |
14658 Time(s) |

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