Introduction
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (SMAM), or in French „Edition 2026 du Salon International de Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines“, a name like a poem.
Or, as the instagram defines it: „Mineral and Gem is so much more than a show. It is a vibrant, welcoming, gathering place, a time to come together, share stories and discoveries, and celebrate our shared passion for minerals, gems and the wonderful encounters they bring“.
After Tucson, the French Show is the 2nd biggest mineral and gem show. Since 1965, thousands of visitors are travelling to Ste Marie, normally a small city of about 5000 citizens, located in the beautiful Vosges mountains of the Alsace Region, a wine area in the western of France. This year was the 61st edition with the motto “Shades of Iron“.
A Brief History
Archaeologists esteemed, that the first mining reached back into the iron age. In the 10th century, taxes on silver ore („Val d’Argent“), were documented. The 16th century marked the „golden“, better „silver“ age: German miners formed many companies and a „silver rush“ began. About 500 active mines were reported. In 1962, Francois Lehman and his organisation checked the enviroment for a mineral exhibition. In 1965, the first gem and mineral bourse was installed. In 2012, Ste Marie`s Lord Mayer Claude Abel took over.
The 2026 Show
This year, estimated 30.000+ visitors from across the globe were going to see about 1000 exhibitors from 58 countries. They were setting up their boothes, tents, tables etc. at 170.000 sq.ft. The little town is transformed into one gigantic show area: the local schools, the streets, the theatre, even the swimming pool. About 700 volunteers, the red-vest team, were helping.
Dealers and collectors were welcomed in two areas: the Zone Mineral (ZM) with about 700 exhibitors and the Zone Gem (ZG) with 300 exhibitors.
In the Zone Gem, I am talking about here, especially companies with Indian merchandise were dominating. Prices, compared to last year, were stable, and if you bargain hard, surely, you get a good price.
Tanzanite was still going strong, heated and unheated, seen at Paris Precious and Himayat Gems. I saw some rough Greenland rubies. Denis Gravier, the sphalerite king, carried a lot of sphalerites and quite a selection of Sri Lankan sapphire crystals were available
Plenty offered amethyst and citrine, big stones and clean, are in my opinion mostly Russian manufactured synthetic quartz. Be aware! To proof if they are natural, you need infrared spectroscopy as a sophisticated gemmological test.
Larimar (pectolite) was offered by an Madagascan company and popular German dealer Marco Schreier. Opals were pretty strong this year, I counted at least 6 opal dealers. Welo opals from Ethiopia in good qualities started at a few € a carat.
Tourmaline was offered in all cuts, forms and shapes, emeralds were plenty, cut and in beautiful matrix, diamonds were on sale, a good buy these days because of their extrem price drop! Beside fluorite, I noticed trapiche- and star sapphires from Auvergne, – French! gemstones.
And yes, it was absolutely HOT this year: Blue sky, no clouds and the sun was burning without mercy. In the Salle Prestige, huge fans were cooling down exhibitors and guests. The weather popped up to be the No1 topic. Watering poles and fountains occur to refill bottles and spraying showers were refreshing. All because of the climate change.
To get a good impression of the fair, I talked with several colleagues.
Harald Mühlinghaus, a German opal dealer, is exhibiting for 35 years. His sales were close to 2025, but he missed regular customers. For him, the unique atmosphere, the particular charme and the buyers from all over the world make SMAM special. Harald offered the whole range of Australian opals and was mining himself for a couple of years.
I talked with Sabry Lafir, a rare gem dealer from Sri Lanka, exhibiting since 20 years. Sabry called it a „Mini Tucson in Europe“. „The environment creates a good atmosphere“. His specialties: cut sapphire, sapphire crystals and rare phenomenal gems.
Mr. Hayaa, a diamond dealer from Germany, is coming to SMAM since 10 years and likes also the beautiful area. His diamonds are manufactured in a partnership-factory in Surat, India. Selling was a bit slow, but ok.
Axel Kalb, a German coloured stone specialist, is exhibiting here for 5 years. He likes this event as a meeting point of the whole world, not in a steril exhibition hall, but in a wonderful historic mining village.
Interview with Mr. Sharma, an Indian dealer. His carvings are handcarved in Jaipur, Shivas and Ganeshas are his best figurines. Because of the climate change, Mr. Sharma was suggesting to the organisers, to shift the fair from June to May. He was the third dealer telling me this idea. We will see, if there will be any changes for 2027.
Gemmology Labs
Like the years before, exhibitors and visitors had the possibility, to get their gems examined by the LFG. For the first time, LFG (Laboratoire Francais Gemmologie) and AFG (L´Association Francaise de Gemmologie), were connected in one tent. Aurelien Delaunay, Direktor of LFG, was testing with his team a lot of gems. Interestingly, in the ZG, this author noticed also some treated Welo opals.
Scientific conferences were offered for free, but too sad, 16 presentations were in French, only 3 in English language.
Finally, I had the honour to meet famous book author Joanna Hardy. She wrote 7 books and is teaching gemmology all over the world. She visits Ste Marie this year for the first time! Like everybody, she is touched by the outstanding countryside and enjoyed that the whole space was “full of minerals, gems and fossils and especially full of people, who love what they do“. Besides boulder opals and agates, her favourites are slabs of fossilied woods, they look to her like paintings.
In the jewellery section, Paris designer Muriel Beigbeder is exibiting here since 10 years. This year, she was generating not too many visitors, because of the sun. Her discipline is „creating something special, other jewellers don´t do“.
Interview with Konstantin Stavridis, a German silver jewellery manufacterer. He is producing jewellery in his company in Jaipur and is exhibiting here since 20 years. For him, SMAM is the only important European open air fair, with a touch of a folk festival. „You have plenty of time to sit down and discuss with a potential customer. The disadvantage is the total dependency of the weather“.
Mine Trips
The organisers offered tours to the „Gabe Gottes Mine“, mining silver and arsenic ore since the 11th century and the „Saint-Louis Mine“, a completely preserved silver mine since 1549.
Resümee
Like every year, too many things to see, needing time and a good physical condition. I remember well, when I was hunting my stars for the last 40 years, it was exiting and very exhausting. And the times now are not good for business: there are too many wars, too many crises in politics, economics and societies and no young gems and mineral collectors developing.
How will the weather be next year? Anyway, see you in 2027. Sure.
Articles by Martin P. Steinbach:
https://gem-spectrum.com/tag/martin-p-steinbach/
About the author
Martin P. Steinbach is the first German Accredited Gemologist from AIGS in Thailand in 1983 and also a Graduate Gemologist and diamond expert from the DGemG in Germany in 1982. The „Accredited Senior Gemologist“ diploma from the AGA in USA, he received in 2016. Based in Idar-Oberstein in Germany, he is dealing in gemstones and Burmese jadeite from 1981 until today and already midst of the 1980’s, he specialised in trading all gems with a star phenomena, from super rare to commercial ones, and also, started to collect them intensely for his private – nfs – star collection. Steinbach wrote two books about this phenomena: In 2016, „Asterism – Gems with a Star“. It took him over 30 years to write this 900-pages giant of nearly 9 pounds, suppose to be the international standard compendium about asteriated gems. In 2023 followed “Star Gems – A Fascinating World“, a 444-pages book including a superbe and fabulous 23-pages chapter of „Stars in Exceptional Jewelry“.
Nowadays, Fei Cui carvings are still fascinating him, and very soon, after selling his MPSSC, as an independent privateer then, he will be moving towards his leisure activities music and especially art.
www.star-sapphires.com, instagram: martin__p_steinbach.
