In this France Update (click here), I am including the first of the specimens from the 2015 Ste. Marie Show.
Despite the host country, the show is truly not full of French mineral specimens, given their relative scarcity, and the ones that are there are highly prized. Nonetheless, I was able to acquire a few excellent French pieces.
Beautiful deep golden barite crystals from a find at La Côte d’Abot, near Saint Saturnin, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne.

 Barite, La Côte d’Abot, near Saint Saturnin, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France – 7.1 cm

Barite, La Côte d’Abot, near Saint Saturnin, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France – 4.3 cm

Barite, La Côte d’Abot, near Saint Saturnin, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France – 5.3 cm

Barite, La Côte d’Abot, near Saint Saturnin, Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne, France – 4.8 cm

I also found a small stash of bournonite crystal groups from the contemporary classic locality, Les Malines District, Saint-Laurent-Le-Minier, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon.

Bournonite, Les Malines District, Saint-Laurent-Le-Minier, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France – 6.8 cm

Bournonite, Les Malines District, Saint-Laurent-Le-Minier, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France – 6.1 cm

Bournonite, Les Malines District, Saint-Laurent-Le-Minier, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France – 5.3 cm

From Buxières-les-Mines, there was one fluorite specimen that really caught my eye. We are used to seeing fluorite from occurrences where the habit is one of stacked cubes, but how often do we get to see stacked dodecahedra?

Fluorite, Buxières-les-Mines, Allier, Auvergne, France – field of view approximately 3.0 cm

From an uncommon locality for fine mineral specimens, some brilliant, sharp alpine hematite.

Hematite, L’Alpe d’Huez, Oisans, Isère, France – 10.1 cm

Hematite, L’Alpe d’Huez, Oisans, Isère, France – field of view approximately 2.5 cm