Report on the Show

WE MADE IT….!!!!!!!!!!

After months of preparation and worries,with the final rush and hard work in the last days, on Friday May 30 the 2003 Genova Mineral Show started.

...some view from Porto Antico and Cotone Congressi area

Exibitors arrived already during the morning and we struggled to accomodate everybody. The Hall n°7 of the beautifully restored Magazzini del Cotone (Cotton Warehouse) eventually was full and on Saturday 31 morning we had the pleasure to see many visitors arriving not only from Genova area but also from other Northern Italian regions and other country.
Early visitors and exibitors had the possibility to taste ‘focaccia’,special bread from the region ,and white wine offered by the organization. In less than one hour it was all done, a good mid morning breakfast!
We had from the beginning the feeling that there was great interest around this ‘new’ (the last time in Genoa was in 1991, than nothing) mineral show and this is particularly important due to the difficult economic period and to the declining passion of youngs for rocks and minerals and nature collecting in general.

Inside the Show: some view in different moment

According to our show Philosophy, we invited mineral,fossils,shells,gems and bijoutery dealers , so in the show we had represented all the aspects of collecting.    Among the Minerals we want to evidence the table of Camarda, Sanguinetti e Bottoni from Sestri Levante (Ge) wth good examples of Tinzenites, Calchocites and other mineralsfrom Val Graveglia; on Webminerals tables it was possible to see many different worldwide minerals,among them an interesting selection of Alpine Quartz and Fluorites , pegmatite minerals from Pakistan and Afghanistan , red Quartz from Dal'negorsk and old specimens from collection recently acquired. Nalin Franco exibited besides wonderful demantoides from Val Malenco,intersting Perowskites and Ligurian Garnets. Marini Emanuele a young geologist from Milano is specialized in Madagascar minerals,he had intersting Rubellitesi, liddicoatites e scepter quartz; Bruna Bruna had a killer Phosgenite from Monteponi; Iazzolino Silvio was showing a serie of vesuvianites from Asbestos; to be noted also crocoites of Olivier Szentessy, a very good friend indeed, and Bolivian ametyst of Jacque Caule.  Dealers from Morocco had interesting Wulfenites and usual Vanadinites and Chinese Mineral Museum brought good stibnites,fluorites,brochantites and,of course quartz.

....exhibitions and exibitors

Inside the show we had organized a display of Minerals from Liguria (Genoa region). The exibit was set into 10 diplay cases and had a very good success among visitors.

There was the possibily to admire old specimens collected 30-40 years ago mainly from two mineralogical areas: Rodingites of Faiallo Pass area (30 km West of Genoa) and Manganese Mines of Val Graveglia (well known for rare species and type locality for some unique Mn minerals)

There were on exibit around 60 specimens and among them we want to note:

Medaite: large druse (6 x 6 ) with crystals to 0,3 cm. (Coll.Tullio Rossi)

Rodonite: large druse 14x 8 with 1 cm. crystals (Coll.G. Signorelli)

Tiragalloite: interesting small group of visible of 0,2 cm.(Coll.Tullio Rossi)

Copper Crystals from Molinello:among the specimens a small but very elegant on matrix (coll.Silvano Bottoni) and a very large one (35 cm) on matrix (Coll.Tullio Rossi)

Dioptase: from Monte Ramazzo (an old Mg mine )an historical piece with 1938 label from Slopis collection (Sclopis was the owner of the Brosso Mine at the beginning of the century) in small neddle like crystals (Coll. S.Camarda)

Brookites and Anatase from Bregaceto: this area is famous for beautiful crystals and we admired brookites up to 2 cm. and anatase (1 cm) on large plates (Coll. Bottoni e Camarda)

Vesuvianite: from Faiallo area a large specimens with dark crystals up to 3 cm (Coll.Pastorino)

Granats: The Rodingite area is famous for Grossularite (Hessonite,Hibshyte) which are found in different coluors and shapes.

There where two garnets cases with large cabinet pieces and crystals up to 2 cm. from different collections Bric Camula' (Coll. Bottoni), MontArgentea (Coll. Raviola) Bric Resonau (Coll. Franco Siri)

Titanite: a large cabinet piece with 4 excellent yellow crystals,the largest of 3 cm.(Coll.S.Bottoni)

Ilmenite: Interesting new find with crystals up to 1,5 cm. Gava Valley (Coll. Raviola)

Gismondite and Thomsonite: from a 20 years old finding in large crystal

Garnets from Rodingite area

Minerals from Graveglia Valley

Minerals from Bregaceto Mountain

The show continued on Sunday 1 June and we saw again interest from visitors who made the happiness of all dealers . At the end we cannot give an exact number of visitors because there was no ticketing but we extimate in some thousands the rocks lovers and the simple curious who came to the show,certainly encouraged by the beatiful scenario and the lovely sunny Genoa weather.

Now we are proyecting 2004 edition and we can assure that it will be as interesting as the first one,if not more.We are thinking to some surprises and new things.
In 2004 Genoa will be one of the European Culture Capital and our dream is to link Minerals, Fossils, Nature and our show into the great event chain that will be organized .

We want here to thank all the person who helped us to the success of the show,all the exibitors who believed in our idea to renew an old tradition in this great city, and the collectors who visited us and hopefully appreciated our efforts.
Comments and suggestions for next year are more than welcome.

Goodbye and see you next year.

WEBMINERAL STAFF

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