Report from Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines 2006
By Bill Larson, Pala International
This show remains one of my favorites, nestled in the charming village of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, in the Valley of Silver (val d’Argent), near Strasbourg, France, and in the middle of the Alsace wine region with charming restaurants featuring foie gras and other local specialties. Is there anything else missing? Oh yes: mineral specimens and gems. These are showcased by 650 international mineral dealers and 350 gem and jewelry dealers in booths filling two sections of the town’s streets and in several indoor halls.
I am traveling with my son, Will, and Mark Kaufman, a fine gem cutter and dealer from San Diego. The three of us were able to split up and cover a great deal of the show in a short period of time, catching whatever new was put out in the first days. Of course, to see finer things one must know the dealers, and then you’re shown things privately as in the USA.
This year the new minerals were rhodochrosites from China. We saw these with several Chinese dealers. No one seemed to have an exceptional specimen, but many examples were very nice miniatures. These were in the 200 euros cost range. (See what we brought back.)
A rubellite pocket found two years ago in Luc Yen, Vietnam, was on display and priced for the first time. These tourmaline specimens were also featured in the current issue of Lapis magazine (see below), with the best matrix piece featured on the cover. This piece was excellent; it was repaired, as most larger tourmaline matrixes are, and sold on the first day.
Among the fine things we saw were many new, small, but beautiful aquamarines from Shigar Valley (Pakistan). And a few select kunzites from Paprock, Afghanistan, as well as many nice tourmalines from Afghanistan.
Mark found a great selection of purple scapolites from Tajikistan that were excellent single crystals, but will probably be sacrificed to the cutting wheel due to the increased sums gem collectors will pay.
Inside the theatre—many downtown buildings, including this one are used for the show—are clustered the top-quality mineral dealers, mostly from European countries. This year the theatre’s stage had been selected for dealers with finer pieces, and so the tone inside the theatre was raised a notch. Next year it is rumored that the genius who conceived and owns the show, Michel Schwab, is going to upgrade the theatre even more to highlight the finest minerals available. He also had a few displays of interesting exhibits, including fine French fluorite specimens; I hope he will expand this excellent idea.
The show was great, but not easy to find many things for a dealer, as prices were high due to the strong euro and generally higher prices than in producing countries.
Sainte-Marie 2007 is June 21–22 for dealers and June 23–24 for the public. To learn more, visit the show website.
Acquisitions from the Show – For Sale
The following is a sample of the fine specimens we’re offering from the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines show. If you’re interested in any of these, just let us know. Check back in the next few days to see additions.
If you’re interested in any of these, just let us know. Check back in the next few days to see additions.