One of Europe's most active mineralogical clubs is based in Antwerp, Belgium. Founded in 1963 by a small group of enthusiasts it has now grown to more than 400 members. Every month the society holds two meetings as well as collecting excursions in Belgium and abroad. However the highlight of the year is the popular 2-day mineral show known as Minerant. The close proximity to the UK and the convenient time of May proved an almost irresistable draw. The journey to Antwerp was very quick and only took three hours after crossing the Channel by Eurotunnel. The other incentive ia that at this time of year the tickets for the crossing are very cheap. Arrivng on Friday morning we decided to explore the city, famous for its history and long-term association with the diamond trade. Close to the central rail station Antwerp's diamond district covers approximately one square mile, housing 1,500 diamond companies and four diamond bourses. Its a little known fact that 70% of all the world's diamonds pass through this area.

Diamonds are sorted, cut and polished by skilled workers who grade each stone on the basis of the four C's; Carat (weight), Colour, Clarity and Cut. The industry is run by the city's Jewish community who live and work in the diamond district. This large Jewish population has earned Antwerp the name of 'Jerusalem of the North'. Our first visit was to see one of these diamond workshops for ourselves. The central area is located along Schupstraat and Hovenierstraat. The sides of both streets are lined with the shops of numerous diamond dealers where you can buy almost any stone you can imagine. Some have workshops directly behind or above the store where you can see diamond cutting in progress. We visited one of these and were very impressed by the skill and care with which each stone is prepared to show off its beauty. It should be noted that Antwerp’s diamond district is not open on weekends due to the Jewish observance of the Sabbath.

One of Antwerp's many diamond craftsmen	History of diamonds at the Diamond Museum

Next on our agenda was the city's Diamond Museum. This is an amazing interactive experience which has just had a £250,000 makeover. This included an expansion of display space, and several new exhibits. At the forefront of the renovations is the new display area called the Welcome Wing 360, which gives visitors an audiovisual introduction to the role of diamonds in the history of Antwerp from financial and cultural points of view. Other displays include 'Diamond Story', illustrating the geology of diamond formation and 'The Fascination of Diamond', a showcase of diamonds as precious stones in jewellery and decoration. There is also a display called "FEELing with Diamond" with for the sight impaired. An activity highly recommended is the 'Diamond Quest'. After buying their ticket visitors are equipped with an audio guide and an individual diamond quest card. Computer-controlled terminals enable visitors to play an active role determining the future of their own diamond: its polished form, the place where it is cleaved, cut and polished, or, in the case of an industrial diamond, its processing, trading, eventual application, etc. A truly superb activity and highly recommended.

After the Museum we headed for Antwerp's historic centre. The heart of the city is the Grote Markt with its gabled houses and the legendary Cathedral of Our Lady. The church's high tower dominates the skyline. Inside are three striking paintings by Rubens, who lived and worked in the city for many years, and a dazzling statue of the Vargin Mary. Fanning out of the main square is a maze of narrow streets lined with shops, bars and cafes. To the west of the town is the Scheldt, the second longest river in Europe. The old harbour dates back to Napoleon and is now one of Europe's busiest ports. After taking a walk along the mighty river and watching several barges sail by we went back into town and sampled some of Belgium's famous hospitality. For such a small country, Belgium has an astonishingly wide range of breweries and beer styles. Add to this the fact that the number of different beers carried in many bars are often numbered in the hundreds (for example, Kulminator in Antwerpen lists over 400 beers on its menu) and someone new to Belgian beer can easily feel overwhelmed by the choice available. A big word of caution. Belgian beers are usually much stronger than other European ones. In Belgium you'll find that 5% is one of the weaker beers. 7% or 8% are common and even 10% or 11% isn't exactly rare. Fortunately you'll usually be served smaller amounts of beer than a normal pint, but do please take care.

Antwerp's beautiful central square	Famous Belgian hospitality

After staying the night at a very nice Hotel in the centre, on Saturday morning we headed off to the Minerant mineral show. This is located at the Bouwcentrum, Jan Van Rijswijcklaan 191, just off the city ring-road Ring R1, south of the centre. There is plenty of parking around so finding a space to leave the car within easy walking distance was no problem at all. One word of warning. There are no Banks or Cashpoints at the Expo Centre or nearby, so if you intend to pay for specimens by cash, bring this with you as you will not be able to withdraw any nearby. The show lasts two days and the entrance fee is a very modest €8 for the two days. Otherwise its €5 per day. Confusingly, you cannot buy tickets at the signed ticket office, but only inside the building outside the main hall.

The first impression is that the interior of the hall is not very attractive. Its a vast open space with concrete walls and a mass of air ducts, lights and pipes suspended below the dark roof. However what it lacks in aesthetics, the show more than makes up in terms of exhibitors, displays and activities. At the entrance end was the stand of the Antwerp Mineralogical Society and a gold panning display for young visitors. Stretching into the interior of the hall were eight long rows of dealers' tables, totalling around a hundred or more. We stopped by at the organiser's table to have a quick chat and were very warmly welcomed to the show.

Antwerp Expo - Bouwcentrum	Visitors waiting to buy a ticket

Nearby two dealer's tables caught our eye. The first was a huge display of Emeralds from Colombia. These are becoming increasingly rare as mining for stones becomes more difficult. Many of the former sites have been worked out and very few new deposits have been found in recent years. Nowadays, even lower quality stones are now made into jewellery whereas in the past they would have been sold as mineral specimens or discarded. Nevertheless this dealer had managed to get hold of some truly superb examples but prices were correspondingly high. Next door was a dealer from South Africa who had brought a very large selection of various Quartzes from the southern part of the continent. Amongst examples were numerous specimens of Cactus Quartz, as well as good quality Amethysts from Brandenburg and a large selection of Citrines from Mozambique.

A rich selection of Quartz from southern Africa	A quick snapshot of the main hall

Facing into the hall, the first aisle on the right was occupied by dealers selling lapidary rough, carvings and jewellery. Amongst these we found a very nice carving of an eagle, made in Brazil. We also picked up an excellent specimen of gem-quality Chrysoprase from Australia. Further along the aisle was an enormous cluster of tables occupied by Gunnar Faber, a well-known German dealer of systematic minerals. His selection at the show consisted of at least two thousand specimens, some common and a few exceedingly rare. We had met Gunnar before at Bologna and he told us of his latest visits to South America. Amongst his newest specimens were Ahlfeldite and Farallonite from Potosi, Bolivia.

The next aisle was occupied mostly by collectors and Minerant club members selling off their excess specimens. Most of the minerals were local and mostly common species including Quartz and Calcite. One particularly striking specimen of the latter caught our eye but as the owner would not negotiate on price we did not buy it. Along the far end of this aisle were a number of overseas dealers including some from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. One of the tables was taken by Jaroslav Hyrsl, co-author of the reference book Minerals and Their Localities. This is an encyclopaedic listing of every approved mineral species, with descriptions for each mineral, emphasizing formation conditions and major worldwide localities. He told us that the book took almost ten years to write. The most difficult part was obtaining more than 1000 photographs specimens, many of which are normally not thought of as photogenic and are therefore not illustrated in other mineralogical books.

Cerrusite var. Jackstraw - Cornwall - Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat Collection	Siderite - Cornwall - Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat Collection

The next aisle was occupied by dealers of top-end specimens, although many of the well known European dealers we not here. The net effect was that many of the specimens on show were surprisingly affordable. So far, this was one of our best impressions of the show. Namely, that it was aimed at ordinary collectors with modest to moderate budgets. Yet the quality and range of specimens on show was at least as good as some of Europe's largest shows. Amongst our acquisitions were a large dendritic copper nugget from Bisbee, a large Tungstate crystal from Cavnic, a large deep-blue fluorite cluster from Tarn de Burg in France and crystalline gold in quartz from Kasperske Hory, Czech Republic.

However, our greatest find lay in the next aisle next door. Whilst walking past the table of a German dealer a specimen caught our eye that looked remarkably like Cornish tin. Taking a closer look we found a treasure-trove of over fifty Cornish specimens. Looking at the old labels, we discovered that these specimens were old-timers, assembled in the 18th century in Italy by the Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat. The collection stayed in Italy until the mid 19th century when the Duchess of Mantua and Montferrat gave the specimens to a relative Charles Ottley Groon-Napier who took them back to England. They remained in his collection until the turn of the 20th century when they were acquired by the famous German collector Adam August Krantz. He took the collection to Germany, where it stayed until bought by the latest dealer. We saw it our duty to liberate these specimens and after much negotiation we bought the entire suite of sixty four specimens. They will stay in our collection but if anyone is interested in viewing them then please contact us to arrange a visit.

Bismuthinite - Cornwall - Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat Collection	Chalcosiderite - Cornwall - Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat Collection

Elated at our find, we finished the show by visiting the last two aisles. These were a mixture of small local and overseas dealers, including a couple of Moroccans and one dealer from Russia. Not much in the way of new material, but one of the Moroccans had excellent Vanadinites and the Russian had brought an interesting collection of rare silicates from Kola and several good quality Calcites from Dalnegorsk. Sadly, by now it was getting late and it was time to leave for the UK.

Cassiterite - Cornwall - Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat Collection	Tetrahedrite - Cornwall - Dukes of Mantua and Montferrat Collection

Overall, we highly rate this show and recommend Minerant for several reasons. First, it is a relatively small show, so it is easy to get around and is very friendly. Second, the absence of top-end dealers means that prices are reasonable and targeted at most collectors. Third, although there weren’t many new finds, the range and number of specimens is extremely high and ranks amongst most European shows. Fourth, the show encourages smaller dealers and collectors which means that many locally important specimens can be found. Fifth, it threw up a major surprise of finding an outstanding historic Cornish collection. Sixth, there is plenty of other things in Antwerp to see including the diamond quarter. And lastly, the show is easy to find, easy to park and inexpensive to enter. The only negatives are the absence of any English dealers, considering the close proximity to the channel, and the relative absence of many visitors from the UK, which is disappointing for identical reasons. Hopefully, if you live in the UK and read this review we hope that you will feel inspired to visit this great show.