Tucson Show - 2nd Report

9 February 2015

For the second of our reports from Tucson this year we will bring you a little of what can be seen at the Westard Look show which promises, as always, displays of the finest mineral specimens from the world. Some of the great minerals from, not just the Crystal Classics showroom, but some of the rare, beautiful and interesting and unusual specimens in other dealers displays.

A lot of preparation is required for the show at Westward Look and three days before the show opened a small group from our team were deployed to make sure the room was opened and ready for the arrival of the show cases.

...Just as well. The cleaners were still working on the room!

But it didn't take more than a few hours to transform the room into what we wanted.

Of course during the set up of the Westward Look show we still had to continue running the wholesale and retail rooms back at the Hotel Tucson City Centre.

Relatively new recruit to the Crystal Classics team Liam Schofield, our new IT guy,  examines and photographs a few more of the minerals in our showcases in the Retail room at the Hotel Tucson City Centre.

Before we get into the setup and displays of what we want to show you at the Westward Look, here are a few more images Liam and I took of some of the specimens in that retail room.

Spherical aggregates of fine green Malachite needles in association with small clear white Calcite rhombs from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto region, Namibia.

Pale yellow Mimetite crystals encrusting reddish brown interlocking tabular Wulfenite's from the Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto region, Namibia.

Richly coloured lilac blue complex hexagonal crystal of fluorapatite resting on Muscovite plates from the  Panasqueira Mine, Covilhã, Castelo Branco District, Portugal.

A scattering of green coloured well developed crystals of Anglesite from the MMM Mine,  Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia.

Another great piece from Broken Hill - Cerussite pseudomorphs after Anglesite and subsequently coated with Goethite again from the MMM Mine,  Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia.

White acicular needles of Kaolinite pseudomorphing Cerussite from Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia.

From a classic location in Arizona - Diaboleite with Cerussite from the Mammoth-Saint Anthony Mine, Tiger, Mammoth District, Pinal Co., Arizona, USA.

Near spherical pale Malachite aggregates on deep blue Azurite from Bisbee, Cochise County, Arizona, USA.

Rich yellow Ettringite crystals from the N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa

Bright orange spherical growths of Mimetite from Chah Milleh Mine,  Anarak District, Nain County, Esfahan Province, Iran.

Lustrous, terminated prismatic Cerussite crystal from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Another Tsumeb Piece - prismatic Smithsonite crystals from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Deep pink Manganoan Smithsonite crystals from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Tiny dark yellowish brown Beudantite crystals from the Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Needly yellow Mimetite crystals on matrix from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Green Cuprian Adamite with brown Ferrilotharmeyerite from the Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Rare silky white Schaurteite in matrix from the Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

A superb specimen of deep purple Fluorite crystals perched on Quartz from the Chywoon Quarry, Mabe, Wendron & Falmouth District, Cornwall, England.

Rare orange crystals of Villiaumite in a cavity in Phonolite from the Aris Quarries, Windhoek District, Khomas Region, Namibia.

A closer view of the Villiaumite pictured above.

Bright olive green vesuvianite crystals from the Ala Valley, Piedmont, Italy.

Dave and Liz Hacker manning the retail room at the Hotel Tucson city Centre.

Back at the Westward Look show the cabinets are now in shape and Liam makes final checks to see all is in place before the show opens.

Diana positioning one of our banners outside room 235

Here are some of the great Crystal Classics pieces on show at the Wetward Look show

A very large Morganite crystals with a little colour zoning from Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Rich pink Rubellite crystal from the Jonas Mine, Conselheiro Pena, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Fine Arorescent growths of Native Silver lying on matrix from Pöhla, Schwarzenberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany.

Gray well defined Scheelite crystals with Magnetite from Huanggang, Hexigten Banner, Ulanhad League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China.

Green Pyromorphite crystals from Les Farges Mine, Ussel, Corrèze, Limousin, France.

Thin tabular orange crystals of Wulfenite with Mimetite from San Francisco Mine, Cerro Prieto, Cucurpe, Mun. de Cucurpe, Sonora, Mexico.

A selection of fine British Fluorite specimens in one of our show Cases.

Green Fluorite cubes from Heights Mine, Westgate, Weardale, North Pennines, Co. Durham, England.

Fluorite cubes from West Pasture Mine, Stanhope, Weardale, North Pennines,
Co. Durham, England.

Mimetite Var. Campylite from Dry Gill Mine, Caldbeck Fells, Cumbria, England.

Rhodochrosite from N'Chwaning I Mine, N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

Fine pale blue needles of Willemite from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Large pale pink "cast" of Cobaltoan Dolomite with yellowish Calcite crystals from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Rhodochrosite crystals from N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

Another rich red Rhodochrosite on matrix from N'Chwaning II Mine, N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

Well developed yellow Brazilianite with stellate and diamond shaped crystals of Muscovite from Córrego Frio mine, Linópolis, Divino das Laranjeiras, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Fine reticulated Cerussite crystals from Mammoth-Saint Anthony Mine, Tiger, Mammoth District, Pinal Co., Arizona, USA.

Diana Schlegel and Ian Bruce at the Westward Look show.

Wandering around the show at Westward Look a number of interesting specimens came to light.

Our first port of call was to see Alain Martaud.
Alan showed us a few things from his cabinets - a couple worth mentioning.

This rare Boron rich Feldspar mineral Reedmergnerite - a boron rich variety of Albite from Afghanistan.

Alain also had this "stalactitic" growth of Pyromorphite from La Vidale Mine, Asprières, Decazeville, Aveyron, Midi-Pyrénées, France.

Brian Kosnar showed us a number of great pieces as we wandered around his room. Here are just a few:

This gem clean, terminated crystal of Baryte from Book Cliffs, Mesa County, Colorado took my eye.

Brian showed me this tray ofCrystalised Shattuckite specimens from Tantara Mine, Shinkolobwe, Katanga Copper Crescent, Democratic Republic of Congo.

A closer look at one of these specimens shows the fine needles of Shattuckite coating (in part) a Malachite Pseudomorph after Azurite. Rrom Tantara Mine, Shinkolobwe, Katanga Copper Crescent, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Chatting with Brian I was eager to see a specimen he told me he had tucked away.
This amazing pale lilac Hydroxylapatite crystal attached to Feldspar (Microcline?) from the Xanda mine, Virgem da Lapa, Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

A closer look at the Hydroxylapatite crystal pictured above.

Mike Bergman had a unique display of great minerals including this spectacular Amethyst with Calcite from Artigas, Uruguay...

... and thisbright Orange cluster of Wulfenite crystals from China.

One of the best examples I have seen recently of minute "Faden Habit" Grossular Garnet crystals associated with prismatic brown Vesuvianites from Ala Valley, Piedmont Italy. - Courtesy of Cristalli.

Large Twinned crystal of Chrysoberyl from Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Courtesi of Pregi Gemme.

Wayne Thomson had this amazing and eye - catching spray of Aquamarine crystals from Pakistan.

...and this cavity of Legrandite crystals in matrix from (we believe) the Ojuel Mine, Mapimi, Durango, Mexico.

Alan Arnold, Charlie Key, Diana Schlegel and Carl Acosta.

 

This year as the main exhibition held in the Lobby at the Westward Look, Harvard University put on a display and some great minerals could be seen.
Here are just a few:

Near perfect aggregate of Shigaite from Hotazel, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.

Baydonite pseudomorph after Mimetite with Arsentsumebite from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Azurite crystal partially altered to Malachite from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.

Many of you will be aware that for several months Crystal Classics have been working on a new web site devoted to the famous mineral/mining location at Tsumeb, in Namibia. The mine, although now closed, has attracted unparalleled interest from mineral collectors and academics worldwide over the last few decades having been the source of very fine, rare and new mineral species.
The object of creating Tsumeb.com is to bring together as much as possible of the knowledge that is dispersed throughout the mineral community, including collectors, dealers, academics, and former employees at the mine. Many collectors have found themselves concentrating on this location and have accumulated a large amount of knowledge of the mine.

The web site is a non-commercial venture and aims to become the leading source of information about this important mining site.

In order to obtain as much support for the project Crystal Classics arranged a presentation and discussion evening during the week to promote the project.
Having been well promoted it was not long before folks started arriving.

The car park beginning to look a little full.

Ian Bruce of Crystal Classics giving a short presentation with a slide show of some of the fascinating scenes, past and present at the Tsumeb mine in Namibia.

Liam Schofield explaining the concept of the web site, it's facility for addition of information and ease of use.

Eating and drinking at the interval made for a relaxing evening.

The final Presentation by Malcolm Southwood and John Schneider giving an insight into the concept of the presentation, photography and the overall integrity the site aims to achieve.

So that's it for 2015 at the Westward Look event.

Crystal Classics will be setting our main display at The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show to be held at Tucson Convention Centre in a couple of days time with more great mineral specimens.

Please make sure you all come and see us.

Author: Dave
Categories: News & Information