10/21/2025
Munich 2025
There’s lots of buzz coming out of Munich ahead of the 2025 show. Riccardo Prato (Cristalli) reached out to tell us about a book he published along with MCP on the Quartz collection of Paolo Martinotti. The book and Martinotti’s collection are being released at the show.
People have been lining up on the perimeter of the combined booth drooling over the broad spectrum of quartz and associated species, which by US standards, are at bargain basement prices. One of the more expensive pieces I saw was an incredible amethyst/smoky scepter from Greece at the genuinely great price of 5000 euros. Many fine things are priced in the 3 figures rage! They replenished the cases this evening (Tuesday) and will open with a fresh lot; in spite of the surges of specimens, this could be one of those legendary Munich sell-out stories. We’ll keep you posted.
Our Agate monograph also makes its European debut, as does Dietrich Meyer’s agate collection which is being handled by Tomek Praszkier and Danielle Trinchillo (Fine Minerals International). I’m dragging suitcases filled with contributor and European subscriber copies of Agate. For those looking for retail copies, Lapis will had have them for sale at their booth.
Were it not for the monograph, I might have skipped Munich this year, as my posse has temporarily disbanded. Not to make a scene, but I’m still reeling from the sudden and unexpected death of Ben Kuehling last month. With the pending trip, his memorial last week, the Av’s jersey that has appeared in the closet, and the Broncos’ squeaker on Sunday, it’s impossible not to have him in mind. Corey is absent as he pursues his journalism degree, and the government shut down has leashed one of our best bird dogs.
Still, I’m glad to be going not just to deliver Agate, work on Tsumeb, and to see friends but because, in spite of the weirdness of this year, the trip represents a return to normalcy. In the last few weeks, we have finally dispensed with the administrative backlog wrought by COVID. A few weeks ago, I read an article about the rebound or floundering of a number of US cities. The rare successful city (New York) have returned to 76% of pre-pandemic occupancy rates! I had been ashamed to admit that 5 years in, we were still mired in Covid, but when I read that article, I felt a little less like a failure. After all, I can see more than 76% of the floor of my office (now)!
To stay focused, I’ve let relationships, our home and office, and personal health and fitness languish. While I regret that, I don’t regret finally having this yoke off my neck. There are still some boxes of personal paperwork and a lot of filing to do. I have two notebooks full of interviews and notes as well as a pile of ideas that I’d like to turn into books or articles. But for the first time in a long time, I get to focus on the here and now. For the next week, that’s Munich, and I’m all in!!
