Peru

It's in a bus filled with minors for the most that we leave  the mists of Lima. A few glances trough the window before the nightfall allow me to see the tormented reliefs and mountains with strictly vertical strata and  dizzying heights.

Soon, snow-capped peaks and superb lagoons follow one another, leaving me blown away by so much beauty. I would like to stop for a moment to contemplate  serenely these grandiose landscapes but the bus go fast, pounding suddenly from time to time when the crossing with another vehicle is impossible.

Pachapaqui, Huanzala , these mines well known to collectors for their beautiful mineralogical specimens appear on the side of the road, suggesting the daily hard work in a heavily contaminated area of the miners and their families.

Arrival on site at 4am at last!

The air is freezing and despite the warm clothes, the urgency is to find a hotel despite that here, there is no warm water.

Wake up a few hours later under a bright  sun and against all expectations, a mild temperature. The "hunt" for minerals begins!

But here, no urgency, you have to be patient, discuss at length, come back over and over again before finally finding interesting pieces. Very often, the wonderful specimens described have no interest at all.

This is why when after a few disappointments, I finally see some "promising" pyrites, my heart races in front of these perfect octahedra which I hope will be brillant once cleaned.

Indeed, here, you have to risk buying as it is, as the risk of unpleasant surprises. Nothing is even cleaned, so parts are heavier, 20% of the weight is lost during cleaning. After  a folk weighting using a Roman scale dating from Methuselah, it is time for me to carefully pack everything to bring the pyrites in good conditions to Lima, clean them and send to France only the best of them.