Tuesday Update – Africa

THIS week is the start of the Mineral & Gem show at Ste-Marie-aux-Mines. We are sorry that we will not be exhibiting there this year but wish Thomas Bellicam and all the organizer’s well for their 61^st edition. We have many happy memories from our times at the show, with Ian in particular having attended over 30 of them.

Recent years have seen some record-breaking temperatures at the show and this year those temperatures have even extended to the UK, with 38C predicted for a country where anything above 20C in the summer is considered warm.

For our update this week we travel to Africa, covering the length of the continent to bring you a stunning selection of mineralogical treasures. From ore minerals, colourful secondary species, gemstones and perfectly crystallized gangue minerals, our offering is diverse and glamorous.

Africa is still at the forefront of mining and mineral extraction, with the world’s largest deposits of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside huge reserves of copper mineralization, much of which is dominated by brightly coloured secondary species. South Africa is home to the largest land-based deposit of manganese oxides and vast gold resources.

Historically, the famous Tsumeb mine in Namibia is seen as specimens in collections right around the globe, as extremely rare species and stunning display pieces. As collections get recycled these become available, meaning that despite having closed two decades ago, material continues to reach the fine mineral marketplace.

I hope that you enjoy looking through this latest range of specimens and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Catch up again on Tuesday when we will be revealing rare species for you.

Please note: Today's featured specimens are situated at both our US and UK showrooms.