The great European meeting of professionals and collectors of minerals, gems, jewelry and fossils is held this weekend in Sainte Marie aux Mines in the heart of the Vosges mountains for the 55th year. I was able to participate in the first two days reserved for professionals before the opening to the general public this weekend 23 and 24 June 2018.
The inhabitants of Sainte Marie Aux Mines, located near silver, copper, arsenic and other minerals mines, have kept a passion for natural sciences next to another original local tradition: the patchwork.
Surrounded by greenery, you can hear the sound of the clarines as the cows move and see the vineyards along the Alsace wine route passing through the village. This trip marvelously joins the useful to the pleasant, that's why we can come back regularly to recharge our batteries and see again all the mineral species from all over the world in a rural and festive atmosphere.
Sainte Marie Minéral organizes several events in one place, spread over a dozen sites:
- Exhibitions on themes such as "Fossils of Solhofen", "Fluorite, an exceptional piece", "Treasures of crystal makers";
- Symposium on "The historical collections of the Museum of Mineralogy of Strasbourg",
- Conferences on "The Boltsburn Mine", "The History of Tourmaline",
- Workshops of size,
- Sales areas by theme "The gem fashion show" for example
If we are tired, a small train can transport us from one space to another. For yesterday, my Iphone application recorded 8.9 km done on foot!
With the support of 3 major French natural history museums as well as the participation of the British Museum and some private collectors, the prestigious exhibition "Fantasmineral: a collector's dream" presents exceptional pieces of mineralogy and particular objects including miners' lamps made by passionate craftsmen at the time of the exploitation of the site.
The mineral zone, the gem zone and the wellness area, bring together more than 1500 exhibitors from all continents. The event is ranked 3rd among international events with 30,000 visitors and 1000 merchants of 52 nationalities.
Not being able to see everything in 2 days, a selection is necessary according to the objectives and the budget. With the help of professionals that I was able to follow on several occasions, I learned to better orient myself but there comes a time when curiosity and the chance of visits lead us happily to the discovery of unknown species and varieties: blue opals, rubies from Madagascar and other materials recently taken out of the mines.
Thanks to new technologies, some sellers share their amateur videos of "their mines" and there we stop the time it takes to share valuable information on the knowledge of stones; from their formation to the extraction as well as their commercial circuit. These privileged moments are the driving force of all the participants who return to this show every year.
At Gem-Forest.com, we discovered the art of lapidary thanks to a young gemologist who is passionate and precise in his choice of colored stones. Aiming for excellence, Julien Boemo cuts himself some of the gems offered for sale, bringing a French touch of high quality to his products (peridot, garnet, tourmaline, spinel).
Here and there, we saw rough diamonds negotiated at 100 euros per carat, pure and pink fluorites from Mont Blanc from 300 euros per 3 carat cut stone, a fossilized clam at 2,900 euros per valve, abalone mother-of-pearl for 900 euros per slice or 120 euros for a pendant to be mounted and ... thousands of products at all prices and all origins.
We look forward to Sainte Marie Mineral 2019!
