Today was what I would consider the "soft open" for the TG&MS - because this is a retail show and open to the public, Thursday does not typically bring a huge crowd.
The crowds were larger than for the AGTA Show which opened in the same location a week earlier. Of course the AGTA show is only open to wholesale and mostly attended by jewelers which limits its attendance.
The theme "Mineral Oddities" was captured by minerals that either have an unusual natural growth pattern or an example of an unusual growth habit for a specific mineral....this will be clearer as we see photos!
This is unusual growth...
Quartz Gwindles: The standard growth direction for quartz is along the axis. Gwindles grow perpendicular to the standard growth. The bizarre name comes from the German word for twisted.
These are normal growth with an unusual habit!
Sperical and Round Minerals
Check out the sand dollar sized Pyrite Sun - it was theorized that Pyrite Suns were fossilized sand dollars or ancient lily pads that had been replaced by pyrite. More recently though, mineralogists have speculated that they're actually pyrite concretions which, because they formed between layers of slate, simply had no room to grow into the cubical formations one would normally expect to find with Pyrite.
his display from the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian was both visual and educational.
...that Aquamarine in the left corner was a stunner!
A great example of an unusual growth habit is the fuzzy Malachite and the little malachite crystal (looks like a christmas tree in the bottom left) in the collection of Jim & Gail Spann.
More from the TG&MS in a minute!
