Every summer, for a few days, the quiet town of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines transforms into a bustling mineral and gem extravaganza. This is the most beautiful major mineral show setting, and attending is a great experience. This year’s show included some excellent minerals, including some great new finds.

I’ve added a new Morocco Update featuring a small number of excellent quality blue barite specimens from the Sidi Lahcen Mine, from beautiful cabinet specimens to super miniatures. These specimens are from a 2013 find of amazing top-quality crystals and crystal groups.

I’ve added some super new specimens of erythrite from Bou Azzer, along with excellent new, very different, barite specimens from Bou Nahas. These are beautiful erythrite specimens from the contemporary classic locality generally regarded as having produced the world’s finest erythrites, and the barites are from a locality that has been known for quite some time but has been the source of a few very fine specimens more recently.

This Morocco Update is dedicated to a small group of specimens of the recent blue barite crystals from the Sidi Lahcen Mine, Nador, Morocco. These are beautiful, sharp, highly lustrous crystals of excellent quality.

Nestled in the Val d’Argent, in Alsace, France, the town of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines hosts one of the world’s largest minerals shows, with character and class unto itself. I’ve added this post to give a glimpse into finds and highlights from Sainte-Marie 2014.