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Springfield, Massachusetts 2008 Show Blog

~ August 8-10, 2008 ~

The East Coast Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show was once again held at the Better Living Center at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA this year. Above you will see some borrowed pics of Springfield that show the bridge between the show and the hotel where we stayed. There is also a pic of the downtown area. We arrived in town late Wednesday night, as we had to pick up an old collection that we had just acquired before the show. Thursday was set up day, so we did not opt to pester the dealers, instead we stayed in our hotel and began pulling the 1970's newspaper off the specimens in the collection. By Friday morning, we were up early and ready to see what the show had in store this year.

This year's featured exhibitors were Herb & Monika Obodda. There were numerous and varied displays of both mineral specimens and mining ephemera. The example to the left contains several varietals of beryl accompanied by corresponding examples of faceted gems.

What happens in Tucson, stays in Tucson...

Here were two particularly stunning displays of silver and gold specimens from around the world.

Among the gold displays we saw this "gold flask" and thought for a moment that it was real - now that would've REALLY been something!

What happens in Tucson, stays in Tucson...

And a killer showing of famed Neudorf galena specimens - absolutely gorgeous!

Typically we are only drawn to "specimen" displays, however there were a number of agate carvings that were very impressive indeed. Here we see three expertly carved works of art; an agate frog, mouse, and ermine - all truly exceptional in every respect!

Three specimens in the display that we found quite impressive: a kunzite from Pakistan, a fluorite "bowtie" from the Elmwood Mine in Tennesee, and always a favorite, liroconite from Cornwall, England. We also had the fortune of obtaining a liroconite at the show, stay tuned for its posting on our upcoming website update!

What happens in Tucson, stays in Tucson...

Two other specimens that caught our eye were these highly sought after Tsumeb species, a scorodite and one of the best leadhillite specimens we have ever seen!

Easily the best brucite I have ever seen from Pennsylvania! This was a giant, thick, cabinet-sized crystal! I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it in person!

What happens in Tucson, stays in Tucson...

In a display featuring rare gem species, this vayreynite specimen caught our eye. We were lucky enough to obtain a specimen from a friend at the show. Good crystals are very difficult to obtain so we jump at every chance we get.

Here Jasun is looking through Trapiche rubies at Elaine Rohrbach's booth (Gem-Fare). Elaine seems to have a never-ending source of rare gem species, both specimens and faceted! She never ceases to amaze us with things we have never seen anywhere else! She seems to have a special knack for seeking out and acquiring specimens with unusual habits, rare colors, cat's eye's, unique varietals, color changes, - the list goes on. If your looking for rarities like taafeite, Paraiba tourmalines, Padparadscha sapphires, trapiche emeralds, - in addition to superb examples of more common species and varieties - she is one of the best sources out there. She is a GIA certified gemologist and is often our "go-to gal" whenever we are in need of gem related expertise! When dealing with gemstones, especially rarities, it is important to be able to deal with someone you trust AND who has expert knowledge. We couldn't recommend anyone more than Elaine!

Tony Nikischer of Excalibur Mineral Corporation is posing here with his "hologram maker". Tony has one of the most incredible inventories of fine and rare species that we've ever seen, but when we asked him to show us something incredible for a quick photo op, he quickly produced a little plastic pig and proudly showed off his novel hologram maker! When the little plastic pig was placed inside, a mirror image hologram of the pig appeared to levitate just above the device! I guess we should've been more specific with our request, lol! While the "flying pig" demonstration was impressive - we're sorry to say that compared to his extensive stock, a flying pig is the least impressive thing you'll find in comparison to his rarities! In all seriousness though, Tony has always been a tremendous resource for us in terms of his vast knowledge and friendly, helpful attitude. A rare specimen himself, you never catch him without a smile on his face. He is truly an asset to the hobby and science!