San Diego Fair 2011

The theme for the San Diego Fair this year is African Minerals.  Here is an entry for the competitive category: Five Specimens, Mineral of the Year.

Another competitor for Five Specimens, Mineral of the Year (Africa).

And yet another competitor for Five Specimens, Mineral of the Year (Africa).

One more competitor for Five Specimens, Mineral of the Year (Africa).

 

  
Now on to Single Specimens, Mineral of the Year (Africa).

  
 Here are two more entries for Single Specimen, Mineral of the Year (Africa): a Tunisian Gypsum with sand inclusions and a Klein Spitzkopje Smoky Quartz.

   
Two more entries for Single Specimen, Mineral of the Year (Africa): a dark pink Cobaltoan Calcite from Bou Azzer, Morocco and an Ajoite in Quartz from Messina, South Africa.

Here's a view of the case with the Mineral of the Year (Africa) entries.

Mineral Oddities is a relatively new competitive category. Here's one set of entries.


Another set of Mineral oddities.

And a final threesome of oddities.

Full cases of mixed minerals are also on display competitively.  This is a beginner case.

A close-up from the previous case.

A case of mixed minerals in the Advanced category.

A close-up from the previous case.

One of 3 cases of mixed minerals in the Masters category.

A close-up from the previous case.

A second of 3 cases of mixed minerals in the Masters category.

A close-up from the previous case.

A third of the 3 cases of mixed minerals in the Masters category.

  
Two close-ups from the previous case.

Cases of fluorescent minerals brighten the UV room.

A beautiful Halite from the Salton Sea.

Fluorescents from Franklin, New Jersey, the "fluorescent capital of the world".

An incredible case of minerals set up by San Diego collector (and fair judge) Irv Brown.
The case is crowned by the most aesthetic Messina Ajoite in Quartz that I have ever seen.

Close-ups of Irv's case - this Austrian Apatite blew me away!

More close-ups of Irv's case - I love Cubanite and have never seen such a good one, and on matrix!

More close-ups of Irv's case - this Columbian Emerald is the specimen my friend liked best, while I cast my vote for this fine Katlang Topaz, one of the holy grails of mineral collecting.

More close-ups of Irv's case - the N'Chwaning Hematite has incredible brilliance.

More close-ups of Irv's case - Ilvaite on Quartz from Dal'negorsk.

More close-ups of Irv's case - both specular and botryoidal Hematite are present on the elegant specimen to the left, & the color of the Jonas Mine Tourmaline (right) must be seen in person!

We finish Irv's case with a close-up of a Tanzanite with Diopside from Arusha, Tanzania.

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