Munich Show Report

7 November 2012

A wintery feel for the Munich 2012 Show.

The Munich show this year was as ever a vibrant and enthusiastic event with all the main dealers having brought along some of their finest exhibits for what is now widely accepted as Europe's premier mineral fossil and gemstone event.

Hall A6 in the early stages of layout, Tuesday evening.

The Crystal Classics and Kristalle team arrived in force on Tuesday afternoon and began the mammoth task of show preparations. This started with the unloading and arranging of the cabinets and display equipment. The regular tasks of glass cleaning and light fitting and positioning of the shelf units is now second nature to most of us. We take it in turns.

Dave Spiller fitting our LED light strips into position before the shelves go in.

Diana pretending she doesn't like the job of glass cleaning.
We all know she does!


The show cabinets in place and testing the lights.

Dona Leicht positioning one of our fine Gold specimens on its stand before it is placed in the show case.


Lois Nelson taking well deserved time out from arranging the Gem Mineral display cabinets.

The gradual preparation of a colourful show gallery for our clients to view fine specimens from all corners of the globe begins to take shape.

Ian Bruce with Diana Schlegel and Desmond Sacco.

There is always a little time for a light hearted interlude.
Wayne and Dona Leicht.

 
.....and some bunny ears!

And of course others had to try them on!
Dave Lloyd enjoying the show.

This year Kristalle and Crystal Classics put on a full range of twelve show cabinets each with a specific theme.

For the first time we were able to offer a complete cabinet of top quality Alpine minerals recently acquired from one or two world class collections. This cabinet exhibited fine Quartz "Gwindel" specimens to Albite specimens (var. Pericline) some with Fluorapatite crystals in association, and one or two extremely rare Axinite and high grade Titanite specimens to name but a few. Needless to say the cabinet attracted a lot of attention. Other cabinets had fine displays of African minerals, Fluorite collections, rare and classic old time European minerals specimens and a collection of Gold and Silver specimens again from classic locations.
Here are some of the specimens we had on display in these cabinets.

Partial view of a cabinet we devoted to various unusual and rare specimens of Quartz.


A particularly fine example of slender, doubly tertminated quartz crystals in association with albite crystals from Dhading, Ganesh Himal, Nepal.
The largest Quartz crystal measures around 2", end to end.

A Rose Quartz crystal "plume"  measuring around 1" across, emanating from  a typical pegmatite association of Albite (var. Cleavelandite), Lepidolite and black Tourmaline from Taquaral, Itinga, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Also in  our Quartz cabinet was this rare Amethyst nodule in Basalt from
Teis, Villnöss Valley, Isarco Valley, South Tyrol, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.

Another scarcity these days is this Quartz specimen from 2nd Sovietskii Mine, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Russia.

Two of our cabinets were devoted to minerals from the African continent and as you might imagine we were displaying a few examples from the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia. Here is one of them:

Fine example of Bayldonite coating (and pseudomorphing) Mimetite crystals from the Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.
Specimen measures approx. 6" across.

A rich example of inesite from the Wessels Mine, Kalahari Manganese Fields, South Africa.
Approx. 3" across.

A cluster of Cobaltoan Calcite crystals from the Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Katanga Copper Crescent, D.R. Congo.
Approx. 3" across

Here are a few of the exhibits we had in the Alpine cabinet mentioned previously.

Two great specimens of Pink Octohedral Fluorite from classic French Alpine locations.
The large single crystal on the right measures around 2.1/2" and is from Aiguille Verte Massif, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, France, and the small cluster of crystals on matrix to the left is from the Mont Blanc Massif, Chamonix, Haute Savoie, France. Both exceptional examples.

Alpine collections are rarely devoid of the enigmatic Quartz "Gwindel". Here are three superb examples, each with their own attributes.

This is a striking example of the rare "Closed" form of Quartz "Gwindel" where the points of the individual stacked quartz crystals have blended to form a blade edge. On rare occasions this happens on both sides. The left hand side of this crystal is not quite fully closed but none the less this is a particularly good example with high lustre and transparency.
From the Giuv Valley, Tavetsch, Vorderrhein Valley, Grischun, Switzerland.

Perhaps the more conventional and more common "Gwindel" appearance with the quartz crystal points exposed on either side forming serated edges to the overal piece. This is a larger example measuring around 4" in overal length.
From the Mont Blanc Massif, Chamonix, Haute Savoie, France.


This is a rare example of a Closed Smokey Quartz "Gwindel" perched (and orientated) upon a single crystal which makes up part of the matrix of the specimen.
The Gwindel measures less than 1". The overal specimen around 5" across.
Specimen collected from Galenstock, Tiefenbach, Urseren, Uri, Switzerland.


Also from the Alps, a rich and entirely undamaged example of the Pericline variety of Albite sprinkled with a dusting of tiny Chlorite particles. Each Pericline shows the typical habit with the largest crystals reaching 1" in length. The over all size of the specimen is in excess of 6".
From the Burg - Fiesch Glacier area, Fiesch, Goms, Wallis, Switzerland.

A rare Amethyst from the Mörchner area, Zemmgrund, Ziller valley, North Tyrol, Tyrol, Austria. Measuring nearly 4" tall.

Specimens in our drawer cabinets, also catagorised according to location, for customer perusal.

In our European cabinet we had a selection of fine British specimens:


A rich Linarite specimen from the classic Roughton Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells Cumbria, England.

Another Cumbrian specimen - Campyllite, also from The Caldbeck Fells.

A particularly well developed group of calcite crystals from Cumbria, England.


Another British classic the "Lady Slipper" - a shell of Siderite which originally coated a crystal of Baryte that no longer exists.
Measuring around 2.5" long.
From the Virtuous lady Mine, Buckland Monachorum, Tavistock District, Devon, England, UK.

We also had cabinets devoted specifically for minerals from Germany. These again included many classic specimens from localities long since gone. Here are just a few of the specimens from our German cabinets.

Complex Galena crystals on Siderite from Neudorf, Harzgerode, Harz,
Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.

Bright yellow interlocking Fluorite crystals encrusted with small clusters of white to colourless prismatic Calcites from Gersdorf, Roßwein, Freiberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany.

A single pale lilac coloured crystal of Anhydrite from Konrad Mine, Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Specimen measures appx. 5" long.

A classic Rhodochrosite from Germany.
Wolf Mine, Herdorf, Siegerland, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Greenockite with a radiating spray of white pectolite from the Andesite quarry, Kreimbach-Kaulbach, Wolfstein, Palatinate, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Another german Classic - Topaz crystals on matrix from the Schneckenstein cliff, Kielberg, Klingenthal, Vogtland, Saxony, Germany.

Crystallised Silver from Schlema, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany.
Specimen measures about 3" across.

A well defined spray of Erythrite crystals in a shallow crevice from Schneeberg, Saxony, Germany.

Cavities in matrix lined with deep lilac coloured Strengite crystals to about 3mm from Oberpfälzer Wald, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany.

A rich group of pale pink Apophyllite crystals from St. Andeasberg District, Harz, Lower Saxony, Germany.

We also had a large range of Fluorite specimens from various parts of the world,  so these were allocated their own display area.
Here is part of the Fluorite cabinet so that you can see the range of colour this mineral species is capable of producing.
Specimens from Germany, England , Spain and more...

Here are a couple of the of the highlights from this cabinet:

A spectacular Classic from Germany - rich bluish purple interlocking cubes of Fluorite with yellow cores from Halsbrücke, Freiberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany.

Rich cluster of colourless cube crystals from
Nikolaevskiy Mine, Dal'negorsk, Primorskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia.

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Please note that not all of these specimens have been sold, so if any are of interest, please do not hesitate to call and ask if we still have them. Members of our our team either in laguna or Somerset are always willing to help.
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Leaving our own display booth to try to find new material on other dealers booths we came across a few items not least some on Jordi Fabres stand.
Jordi had some great Fluorite specimens from a new find in Asturias, Spain:

A small cluster of pale lilac transparent modified cube crystals neatly perched on matrix from Cantera Llamas, Duyos, Caravia, Asturias, Spain.
Largest crystal measures around 3/4" length

Another single crystal measuring approx. 1" across showing the transparency and a few tiny inclusions from the same location.
Cantera Llamas, Duyos, Caravia, Asturias, Spain.

Jordi also had other items of interest including these fine Pyromorphites:

Sprays of apple green Pyromorphite on matrix from Saint-Salvy Mine, Saint-Salvy-de-la-Balme, Tarn, Midi-Pyrénées, France.

A close up of one of the Saint Salvy Pyromorphite specimens showing the delicate nature of the crystals.

An amazing parallel grown group of amethyst crystals from
Sils, La Selva, Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Measuring about 8" tall.

An amazing spray of Hedenbergite crystals with Quartz and Chlorite from Huanggang Fe-Sn deposit, Chifeng Prefecture, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

Another of Jordi's specimens was this rich Mottramite from Ojuela Mine, Mapimí, Mun. de Mapimí, Durango, Mexico.

The main entranca and foyer to the show had a number of booths dedicated to the various Gemmological organisations across Europe. It was pleasant to see the stand occupied by the Gem-A, based in London, who are currently on a promotional push to market their gemmology courses across the world.

Some of the instruments and Literature available from the Gem-A used for testing gemstones.

Luis Menesez had his usual selection if nice Brazilian raritities including this Kosnarite, Zanazziite.

Kosnarite with Zanazziite from Jenipapo district. Itinga, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Another of Luis' was this rich matt of golden Rutile needles measuring about 4" end to end, from Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil.

Less common are these Anatase crystals on Quartz
from Montalvania, Minas Gerais, Brazil, again on Luis' stand.

Siegbert Zecha had a real collectors booth including a new find of sceptre quartz crystals from Serifos as well as some interesting old time specimens, old literature and some old mining artifacts. Here are just a few of the things he had:

A superb cube of Boleite measuring around 3/8" set in matrix from the classic location Santa Rosalía, Boleo District, Baja California, Mexico.

A bed of quartz crystals from the Island of Serifos, some capped with a sceptre.
Serifos, Cyclade Islands, Kykládes Prefecture, Aegean Department, Greece.

A closer look at the sceptres.

Another smaller group from the same location.

Siegbert had a few of these old mining artifacts on his stand - an old miners frog lamp in quite good condition, still with its wick. Very collectable.

As is quite common with the Munich show the weather changes as the days go by. On Friday morning we were all greeted as we woke with a Christmassy layer of Snow.

Our vans had to be defrosted and cleared of snow before we set off for the show.

Snow capped dinosaurs?

This year's special exhibit at the show was "African Secrets" featuring the best minerals and gemstones of Africa. Our team were fundamentally involved in this substantial display, put on to highlight the finest specimens which have been discovered on this continent.
Many of the specimens had been loaned from private collections and major museums.
Much of the preparation of this fine exhibit was still under way when we first arrived with fitters and painters still adding their finishing touches to the displays before the mineral specimens could be taken from their boxes and put on display in their individual cabinets.

Part of the Africa display hall not completely finished. Painting still to be done!


The thumbnail display cases nearly complete.

Lois Nelson with Ian Bruce in front of one of the finished show cases.

Some of the fine mineral specimens being prepared for one of the display cases.

Here are just some of the world class specimens which were on display once the African mineral show cases were all finished and the gallery was open to the public.

At the entrance to this special exhibit were some of the most awe enspiring specimens ever recovered from the African continent.

Botryoidal Malachite from The D. R.Congo. Measuring approx. 16" across.

Large terminated Tourmaline crystal from Madagascar. Total length approx 14"
From the Musee d'Histoire Naturelle collection, Paris, France.

A large Phosgenite crystal in association with terminated yellow crystals of Anglesite from Touissit, Touissit District, Oujda-Angad Province, Oriental Region, Morocco.
Specimen measures approx. 10" across.
From the collection of Adalberto Giazotto.

A particularly large example of Quartz with included Ajoite. from The Messina District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
The tallest crystal reaches approx. 16".
From the collection of Adalberto Giazotto.

Another specimen of Malachite in the form of a series of near virticle stalactites from The Star of the Congo Mine, Lubumbashi, Katanga, D. R. Congo.
From the collection of the terra mineralia, Frieberg, Germany.

A showy example of Aegirine with Feldspar from Mount Malosa, Zomba District, Malawi. The Aegirine sprays reach approx. 2" in height, while the overall length of the specimen is about 16".

Moving into the heart of the display there were cabinets containing some of the finest known examples of some mineral species. Cabinets devoted to Tsumeb and some of the largest cut stones were amongst the best.

A remarkable specimen of Rhodochrosite from The N'Chwaning Mine Complex, Kalahari Manganese fields, Northern cape province, South Africa.
Individual crystals reach nearly 1" in length, whilst the whole specimen is about 15" across. From the collection of Desmond Sacco.

In the same show case was also this specimen nick-named The Snail" for obvious reasons.

Rhodochrosite - "The Snail" - from the N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, South Africa. Specimen from the collection of Bill Larsen.

The show case devoted to Tsumeb specimens.

Here are a couple of the highlights:

A rich green Smithsonite from the Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.
From the Barry and Beth Kitt Collection.

Unusual large orange coloured Mimetite crystals from The Tsumeb mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.
From the collection of Dr. Erika Pohl-Ströher.

A show case devoted to fine cut stones.
Unfortunately the carat weights for each of these stones was not given.

A large rectangular "Rubellite" Tourmaline from Mozambique, measuring approx. 2.1/2" length.

A rich pink Morganite from Madagascar, measuring approx. 2" across.

A fine deep purple blue Tanzanite from Merelani, Tanzania approx. 2.1/2" across.

A selection of Diamond crystal from the Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Specimens on loan from the National Natural History Museum of Paris and De Beers, London Diamond Academy.

Tanzanite crystal - The "Kilimanjaro", from the Merelani Hills, Arusha, Tanzania measuring approx. 9" tall. from the collection of Marcus Budil.

Another fine specimen of Tanzanite with Calcite and Pyrite in association.

Amongst the large selection of minerals in the show there were a lot of items that belonged to private collectors. One such collector is Mario Pauwels a good friend of Crystal Classics and Kristalle.
Here he is in the process of setting up his show case with some of his most treasured items.

Here are one or two of the items in Mario's show case a little closer up:


Dioptase on (and in) Calcite from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto region, Namibia.

Fluorite from Okorusu Mine, Otjiwarongo District, Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia.

For the last part of the report on the "African Secrets" displays here are a random selection of what I thought were some of the highlights.

Enjoy!

A superb small cluster of Rhodochrosite crystals from the N'Chwaning mines, Kuruman, South Africa.

Ettringite, from the N'Chwaning mines, Kuruman, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

A large cluster of Quartz crystals with Inclusions of rich blue Papagoite from the Messina Mine, Messina District, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

A cluster of Baryte crystals coated with Malachite from Katanga, D. R. Congo.

Malachite with Chrysocolla from the "Star of the Congo Mine", D. R. Congo.

Quartz, var. Amethyst with Calcite from Brandberg Area, Erongo Region, Namibia.

A fine Tourmaline (var. Liddicoatite) slice with Classic "Mercedes" logo.
from the Anjanabonoina Pegmatite, Madagascar.

A real African Treasure Jeremejevite from Swakopmund, Namibia.

Gem quality Feldspar (Sanidine) from Itrongahy, Betroka District, Anosy Region, Tuléar Province, Madagascar.

A heavily etched crystal, but none the less Gem clean Phenakite from Nigeria.

Fine example of Pezzotaite with Chiavennite from Ambvatovita, Mandrosonoro, Madagascar.

Londonite with Schiavinatoite from Antsongombato, Betafo, Madagascar.


A large specimen of blue Euclase from Mwame, Zimbabwe.

Single modified cube crystal of Fluorite with "Phantom" from Erongo, Namibia.

Stack of Tourmaline slices. Madagascar.

Rich blue Fluorite crystals in association with Quartz from El Hammam, Morocco.

 And finally, a large Parisite crystals with Quartz from Mount malosa, Zomba District, Malawi.

As ever when we draw to a close we need to emphasise that we have done our best to include as much as we can in our report but we cant cover everything.

Back at the stand, Ian Bruce in conversation with Dave Wilber whilst being interviewed for the forthcoming
"What's Hot In Munich" DVD.


Dave Hacker (left) with friend and regular visitor to Crystal classics and Kristalle - Ivor Thurgood.

Some of the team members enjoying a relaxing moment at the end of the day.
From left Audrey LLoyd, Wayne Leicht, Dona Leicht, Dave Spiller and Liz Hacker.

See you all next year in Munich.

Author: Dave Whipp
Categories: News & Information