I’ve posted great new amethyst specimens in this Indonesia Update. Known as “grape amethyst”, these pieces feature beautiful groups of amethyst balls.

I’ve posted some excellent new specimens in this Tinejdad Red Quartz Update. The quartz crystals from the Tinejdad area in Er Rachidia Province, Morocco, contain red colouring, red zones, or distinct red phantoms, due to included iron.

I’ve just added a post with my report from the Tucson shows, 2018. Some new finds and lots of excellent new mineral specimens!

In the heart of France’s Vosges Mountains, each June, Mineral World assembles at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, for what is always a great mineral show. This post gives a glimpse of some of this year’s finds, including gorgeous red zircon crystals, bi-coloured spodumene, clinochlore crystals and some classic French hematites from just outside of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines.

The Rochester Mineralogical Symposium is one of the best annual events in Mineral World. This post about RMS 2017 includes lots of great mineral photographs, with many from prominent mineral photographers Jeff Scovil and Michael Bainbridge. And hopefully, if you missed this year’s RMS, this will help you catch up – and plan for next year…

Great new specimens from the United States feature in this US Update. Wulfenites from the Red Cloud Mine, a Kelly Mine smithsonite, a Colorado amazonite, excellent ramsdellite specimens, a beautiful specimen hosting covellite crystals, and more.

I’ve added some super specimens from Mount Malosa in this new Malawi Update. These include excellent crystals of aegirine, arfvedsonite, smoky quartz with epididymite inclusions, microcline and zircon. Under shortwave ultraviolet light, the microcline is a striking deep pink-red colour, and the zircons exhibit various hues of yellow.

I’ve posted some great new specimens in this Peru Update. These include hubnerite, alabandite, clinoatacamite, quartz/chrysocolla, chalcopyrite, spinel-twinned galena, proustite and top quality pyrite. Some of these were collected recently and some go back a few years.

I’ve posted some beautiful new specimens in this Morocco Update, includingazurite from Kerrochen and Bou Beker, vanadinite from Taouz, pyrite-coated fluorite from El Hammam, purple fluorite from Tounfit, twinned cerussite from Mibladen and quartz on siderite from Gourrama.

The new Brazil Update on the website features a mix of excellent specimens from Brazil, including spessartine, rutile, struverite-ilmenorutile, alexandrite, montebrasite, brazilianite, kunzite and more.

I’ve added some great new French specimens in this France Update. Several are recently-collected from the Mésage Mine, Saint-Pierre-de-Mésage, Isère, France, along with a bournonite from Saint-Laurent-le-Minier and a gem-clear calcite from Pau, Aquitane.

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.