If you’ve ever wondered about mineral shows as they used to be, the smaller-town affairs meant for everyone, from serious collectors to beginners and families, the Bancroft Shows offer a glimpse. There is a lot to be said for this kinds of mineral show, in a beautiful setting among scenery and wildlife, with guided field trips, local collectors and dealers, and some great minerals.

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.

A small number of excellent French specimens have been added in this France Update, including beautiful groups of sharp hematite crystals from the Brézouard Massif, in the hills adjacent to Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. There are also fine specimens of bournonite from Les Malines District, Saint-Laurent-le-Minier, Gard, and a very nice faden quartz from the French Alps.

The new Bancroft Gem and Mineral Club Mineral Museum is open, housed in the recently-restored historic Bancroft Train Station. When you come to Bancroft and want to learn about local minerals, this is where to start! I’ve added a post with a few photographs – we hope to see you in Bancroft soon!

Beautiful new specimens from Mali, featuring yellow balls of stilbite crystals from Diamonkara, a new find. The Diamonkara workings are in the same general vicinity of the Arrondissement Diako which has produced the now well-known specimens of prehnite and epidote. Also new among these specimens is an exceptionally fine prehnite on epidote.

Beautiful new dioptase specimens from Mindouli, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) – these were mined very recently and arrived in Europe a few days before Sainte-Marie. Sharp, lustrous and of course, wonderful green, these dioptase specimens are now posted under Dioptase – July 2014 Update.

Sharp, lustrous epidote specimens from the relatively new (and apparently depleted) locality, Concession Morgan 3, Coayllo, Cañete Province, Lima Department are now posted on the site under Peruvian Epidote – July 2014 Update. These are great epidotes!

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.

Great specimens in this Mexico Update. Excellent sharp, light green datolite crystals from Charcas, Mexico – these are super! This Mexico update also includes fine danburite crystals and some beautiful amethyst crystal specimens from Piedra Parada.

This Pakistan-Afghanistan Update features selected fine specimens from Pakistan and Afghanistan, including excellent red zircons, a specimen of ilmenite rosettes, a transparent epidote, a beautiful large cluster of aquamarine crystals, a super diopside miniature, elbaite and more.

The specimens in this Gmelinite Update are sharp, brilliantly lustrous crystals of gmelinite after chabazite from the classic locality Pinnacle Rock, Five Islands, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada. These are from some of the top finds at the locality and are super for the species, from any locality. The crystal growth patterns on these are exquisite.

This Magnesiofoitite Tourmaline Update features crystals of magnesiofoitite that are simply amazing for the species. These crystals are from a large collapsed pocket in Tsitondroina Commune, in the Ikalamavony District, Matsiatra Region, Fianarantsoa Province, Madagascar. Sharp and lustrous, with somewhat varied crystal habits, these crystals comprise a remarkable find.