Tucson Show 3rd Report - TGMS
15 February 2015
The 3rd of our reports from Tucson this year comes from the main show at the Tucson Convention Centre:
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
For this, our final report from Tucson, we'll show you some of the great exhibits from the exhibition show cases and a few other great specimens from the Crystal Classics booth that we haven't yet had the opportunity for.
The theme for this years show is
"Minerals of Western Europe"
..and this of course gives a wide scope for creative displays and opportunity to show suites of colourful mineral displays both from private collections as well as exhibits from small enthusiastic groups through to major mineralogical establishments worldwide.
The show has much to offer, not just mineral specimens for the collectors to buy but fossils and jewellery, natural stone objet d'art, gemstones and gem testing equipment etc. In all, there is little that the mineral/gem enthusiast cannot obtain in the way of information or equipment at the show.
The Show begins to take shape as the dealers slowly bring their collections.
Some of the exhibitor showcases being prepared.
Penny Williamson of Wollongong University, Australia proudly showing her case of "Fluorites from the Weardale Valley" as one of the unique displays here at the show.
Penny worked with Paul Carr (also from Wollongong University) on this great display. Thanks guys - great to see these.
A Cambokeels Fluoite in Penny and Paul's Show case.
The auditorium with yet more stands mostly devoted to jewellery and gem materials with some great dealers.
On Wednesday the Crystal Classics team deployed a number of it's staff to begin the task of setting up our display.
We were informed the cabinets were in place and the specimens had been prepared for the showcases. It wasn't long before the displays were complete and ready for opening the following morning.
The Glass showcases filled with worldwide mineral specimens.
Three of our six purpose made wooden drawer units all filled with great minerals.
Collectors and dealers carefully scrutinizing special pieces in the show cases.
A closer look at one of the show cases.
Here are a few of those minerals on display in our show cases.
Dave Hacker enjoying looking through some of the cabinet specimens.
Diana Schlegel at the office in our booth at TGMS.
Here are a few more of the great specimens that we weren't able to show you before:
Large dark brown, terminated Childrenite crystal from Linópolis, Divino das Laranjeiras, Doce valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Thin Caramel coloured tabular Wulfenite interlocked on matrix from Glove Mine, Santa Rita Mountains, Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, USA.
Very richly coloured , bright red Rhodochrosite crystal cluster from N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese field, Northern Cape Province, South Africa.
Pale yellow interlocking cube crystals of Fluorite from West Pasture Mine, Stanhope, Weardale, North Pennines, Co. Durham, England.
Red hexagonal crystals of Vanadinite on matrix from Taouz, Er Rachidia Province, Meknès-Tafilalet Region, Morocco.
Transparent golden Baryte crystals scattered and interlocking on matrix from Pöhla, Schwarzenberg District, Erzgebirge, Saxony, Germany.
Fine native Gold crystals from Round Mountain, Toquima Range, Nye Co., Nevada, USA.
Large translucent Diamond crystal group showing staggered surface features
from Miba Mine, Mbuji Mayi, Kasaï-Oriental, Democratic Republic of Congo.
Another Diamond crystal this time a well formed octahedral crystal embedded in a rounded fragment of "Kimberlite" from Yakutsk, Eastern Siberia Region, Russia.
Etched transparent pale green Spodumene Var. "Hiddenite" from Resplendor, Doce Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Rare Ludlockite (red/orange) with Leiteite in matrix
from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.
Another great rarity, black bladed Bannisterite with Rhodonite from Zinc Corporation Mine, Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia.
Also from Broken Hill, New South Wales this fine Pyromorphite crystal group.
Dark green Malachite from Block 14 opencut, Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia.
Botryoidal growths of pink Manganoan Calcite from Zinc Corporation Mine, Broken Hill, Yancowinna Co., New South Wales, Australia.
Collectors Allan Arnold with George Stacey from Australia relaxing in the booth.
Peter Schlegel in attendance in case any of the browsers need advice or help at the stand.
Diana Schlegel with Liz Hacker.
As always, the exhibition showcases had many interesting displays here are just a few, some dedicated to the theme of the show - "Minerals of Western Europe".
Poster depicting the theme of the show.
...and the actual specimen on loan from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.
The display of European pieces from the American Museum of Natural History.
A classic British piece - "Horsetooth" Siderite with Quartz from Wheal Maudlin, Lostwithiel, St Austell District, Cornwall, England.
Elbaite crystal from the type locality - Elba, Italy.
Display of minerals from Europe by the Arizona Historical Society...
...this Uranocircite from France of particular interest.
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History put on a display of European Classic minerals from the William W. Jefferis collection.
Here are a few in a little more detail:
Rare Pink Apophyllite from St. Andresberg, Saxony, Germany.
Banded brown Baryte known as "Oakstone" from Arbor Low (Middleton Common), Middleton-and-Smerrill, Derbyshire, England.
A bed of well defined Heulandite on matrix from Iceland.
Display from the Colorado School of Mines with many interesting pieces from across Europe.
This magnificent Quartz crystal group from La Gardette Mine, Bourg d'Oisans, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France., being just one of the pieces.
A single clear crystal of Quartz encrusted with deep metallic blue bi-pyramidal crystals of Anatase from Matskorhæ, Odda, Hardangervidda, Hordaland, Norway also in the Colorado School of mines showcase.
Not all the cases were devoted to just minerals from Europe.
Entitled "Remembering James Dwight Dana" this selection of items gives us a little insight into the important work this scientist contributed to our subject.
James Dwight Dana
Great friends and helpers at Crystal Classics, Liz and Dave Hacker, have their own collection at home in England. Two Years ago they gave an insight into the world of Blue john - a unique variety of Fluorite from Derbyshire, England. This year we are pleased that they have been able to add another facet to the show at Tucson:
This collection of fashioned items is all made from Derbyshire "Black Marble" which is actually a form of limestone. Each piece carefully inlaid with other colourful materials including shell, Malachite and other ornamental materials.
A closer look at a few of these items.
The National Museum of Scotland arranged a display of minerals from Strontian celebrating the 225th Anniversary of the discovery of the element Strontium (which takes it's name from the village).
A few of the minerals from the area of Strontian.
The Natural History Museum in London continued with the theme of Minerals of Western Europe and included a display of notes and images from the Frederick Noel Ashcroft collection of Swiss Minerals together with other classic and fine specimens from the Alps. Ashcroft is well known for the very detailed documentation of the specimens and locations from where he retrieved his specimens.
A small example of Ashcroft's notes indicating locations on photograph's and additional notes in the margins of the pages.
Three examples of fine Titanite specimens form Switzerland.
Superb example of a very large Anatase crystal in association with Adularia from the Binn Valley, Wallis (Valais), Switzerland.
Lustrous orange "Hessonite" (Grossular Garnet) from Switzerland.
Not all the show cases were devoted to the Minerals of Western Europe.
Shields Flynn had a great display of minerals from Namibia that included some interesting items:
Shield's collection meticulously arranged.
...and here are one or two of these in more detail:
Not so commonly seen Reticulated Cerussite crystals - on matrix - from Tsumeb Mine, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.
Interesting "Inverse Sceptre" crystals of Amethyst from the Goboboseb Mts, Brandberg Area, Erongo Region, Namibia.
An interesting specimen Shields pointed out to me here the base of the specimen is almost entirely composed of Topaz crystals. more often the Topaz and the Schorl would be found on a Quartz matrix - again from Namibia as indicated.
Collectors Gail and Jim Spann put on more than one showcase, three in all I understand, Here are some of the highlights from the two I saw.
Gail and Jim's Minerals of Western Europe Cabinet.
Here are three notable pieces from their display:
An exceptional "Aquamarine" crystal from
The Mourne Mountains, County Antrim Northern Ireland.
Lilac coloured Anhydrite Crystals with Dolomite from The Simplon Railway Tunnel, Switzerland.
Rare Wulfenite specimens from Mezica, Slovenia.
Gail also put together an amazing display to highlight the awareness of Breast Cancer:
Minerals from all over the world and all great specimens, they had one thing in common - various shades of pink.
A closer look at some of Gail's specimens - of note the Rose Quartz hemisphere showing pronounced "Asterism" - around 4" in diameter.
Steve Maslanski had a great case of British minerals from
The West Cumbrian Iron Orefield:
Steve's informative case with notes maps and great specimens.
Map of the area showing the location of the major mines of the area in Steve's showcase.
Two of the great Hematite specimens Steve had on display.
Bottom left: Hematite covered in bipyramidal Quartz crystals
Top Right: Cavity in massive hematite lined with Quartz and bright bladed crystals of "Specularite".
The showcase of MAD - the Mineralogical Association of Dallas.
The centre piece of the MAD display - a magnificent specimen of rich blue Fluorite from
Puy-St-Gulmier, Herment, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France.
A collection of fine mineral specimens from England in the MAD show case.
Very richly coloured blue botryoidal Hemimorphite from Sa Duchessa Mine, Oridda, Domusnovas, Carbonia-Iglesias Province, Sardinia, Italy.
Another Italian pecimen in the MAD display - Elbaite with Quartz and Albite from the Island of Elba.
One last remaining showcase that attracted attention and discussion:
This exhibit of Synthetic Quartz crystals and crystal groups, laboratory grown using a hydrothermal process, showed a variety of forms some of which are disturbingly close in appearance to natural specimens.
Note the specimen of Guerrero (Mexico) Amethyst towards the bottom centre of the picture. The specimen was originally damaged and has been "healed" in the laboratories at R&D crystal laboratories in Ohio, with very convincing results.
A group of three twinned crystal groups grown at the same laboratories.
On the left a "V" twin (rare in Nature) and two "Japan Law" twins.
Note the green film of "Flux"(?) that appears to be included in the larger twin at the rear.
Perhaps a little less convincing as natural - this cluster of fine needles of Quartz on more "standard" shaped Quartz crystals is unlikely to occur in nature.
That's all we can bring you for Tucson this year. As ever we cannot show all we see at The TGMS - there is just so much to see. We hope we've brought to you the very best and most notable exhibits at the show and we all look forward to next year at Tucson where, we have no doubt, there will be more exciting new things.
A show that no respectable mineral collector should miss.
See you there!
Bowl carved from Brazilian Agate - Helmut Wolf - circa 1970 - Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
After a long but successful Tucson Show we packed up on Monday and shipped what was left back to England. Out of the 14 crates we sent over, we only filled 4 crates to send back!
That's all that's left to go back!
We need new stock! So if you are thinking of selling your collection or part of your collection, contact us today via e-mail: orders@crystalclassics.co.uk or call us +44(0) 1935-862673
+44(0) 1935-862673
Author: Dave
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