Report on Munich 2015 - TGMS Roving Reporter, Paul Harter
DAY4!!!
Setup in Munich continued on Thursday. As usual the mineral dealers were well ahead of all others. The Munich show is unlike the TGMS show. Think of all Tucson venues in 4 jet airplane size hangers and compressed to a three day show. In addition the staging and setup occurs over several days, not just 36 hours that are available to TGMS et al.
Gemworld is a spectacular combination of high end gemstones and gorgeous jewelry. One great aspect is competition for young jewelers. I cannot wait to see the new work. Much like the Spectrum awards given by AGTA which recognize great achievements, these awards go to young designers and jewelers. One gets an opportunity to see the finest work of faceters, carvers and jewelers. This is an aspect of our show that merits additional consideration.
I know TGMS cannot be everything for everyone, but one great youth activity is two large sandboxes filled with sand and small fossils. You can sift the sand in the search for fossils.
Food - the TGMS food trucks beat the food in Munich. But, Munich tops TGMS when it comes to beer, wine and Champagne. A very casual atmosphere in which friendship is valued.
Minerals - there are some exceptional minerals coming from Iran. Beautiful orange wulfenite. We have seen glimpses of this material. I expect a substantial amount in Tucson for the 2016 show. Also saw a lot of very nice demantoid garnet from Iran. The crystals were on matrix and large, up to 10 mm. I am looking for some faceted to see this material compares with that from Russia and Namibia. Kristalle had a table of European classics and other locations that were moving on their 1/2 price table. Crystal Classics had a wonderful selection of Tsumeb material. Quartz is so prevalent. Jim Bleess was in quartz heaven. Perhaps the best piece he saw was a Swiss closed gwindle, smoky that was every bit of 5+ cm in height. A superb specimen for a quartz collector. Rob Lavinsky was moving at a frenetic pace working on the next deal. Stay tuned to us we dust for new posting. Selfishly it is always nice to see a specimen from our home state. There are a few Red Cloud wulfenites and three turquoise specimens from Kingman.
Bavaria is a special area with great regional, formerly national, pride. The Muncheners are getting ready for a football match with Frankfurt on Friday night. We are staying in he Marienplatz and I expect it will be hopping after the game is over.
Lastly, if anyone has any doubt as to respect our show has earned our banner is the first one sees when they walk in the A6 hall. See picture below. Let's support the TGMS dealers who have so loyally supported our show.
So long for now. It's 11:30, time for bed and then a big day at the show.