Collection Of Rocks And Minerals, Auvergne Around 1920, Joseph Demarty

Rare and complete collection of rocks and minerals in its original box. The collection is presented in a beautiful wooden box, inside two stackable compartments, the rocks and minerals numbered from 1 to 100. France, circa 1920. Minerals from the naturalist merchant Joseph Demarty, from the Royat cutting shop and the Geological and Mineralogical Counter in Clermont-Ferrand, active in particular at the end of the 19th - first half of the 20th century.

A legend on the back of the lid:

"Collection of Rocks and Minerals of Auvergne, published by the Geological and Mineralogical Counter of the Plateau Central. Director: Demarty, 9, rue Saint-Louis, 9 — Clermont-Ferrand"
"At the Geological and Mineralogical Counter of the Plateau Central you will find the instruments, tools and supplies for all the Natural History Collections, as well as Magnifying Glasses, Microscopes, Compasses; Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, Insects, Plants, Molluscs, Office supplies and artistic objects in polished stones, Fine stones for jewelry, etc., etc. »
« Clermont-Fd, — Imps Paul Raclot, 81, rue Blatin. »

This legend also presents the list from 1 to 100 of rocks and minerals present in this collection. Organized in three columns, and in several categories: Sedimentary Rocks, Crystallophyllian Rocks, Non-Volcanic Eruptive Rocks, Volcanic Eruptive Rocks, Minerals and ores, Mineral Fuels. We also find the geological stage (Current deposits, Alluvium, Pliocene, Miocene, Coal, Cambrian, Primitive). To the right of the name, the exact origin. Some of these names are no longer used today.

Concerning the lockers:


There are 2 of them, simple to assemble, but they are still very solid (48x27x4.5cm). The rocks and minerals are presented in small green cardboard receptacles (6.5x5x1.5cm) in very good condition. The capacity per floor is 35 receptacles, 5 of which are therefore unused.

Biography of Joseph Demarty:

"Perreau Auguste. Joseph Demarty (1870-1949). Obituary. In: Revue des sciences naturelles d'Auvergne, volume 15 fascicule 1-2, 1949. pp. 3-6. Link: https://www.persee.fr/doc/rsna_0373-2851_1949_num_15_1_2015

History of the Royat cutting factory:

"The Royat cutting factory was created in 1899 by Joseph Demarty, engineer and mineralogist. In 1900, it became an industrial company: the Société anonyme des pierres précieuses d'Auvergne. Demarty chose Royat, where wealthy people flocked from all over the world to benefit from the spa treatments. The cutting factory prospered and opened branches in Cannes, Biarritz, and Paris. The Royat cutting shop offered jewelry and everyday objects in its stores using fine stones such as amethyst or fluorite from Auvergne, opal, jade, agate, etc. The cutting shop was established on the site of two mills on the Tiretaine and used paddle wheels to drive the red sandstone millstones used to rough out the stones. The architect Jean Guillot (1889-1961), designer of several villas and buildings in the Metropolis, built the new buildings in a rationalist style combining concrete, limestone, metal, and brick. They included the workshops, offices, store, and the director's apartment. Since its closure in 2004, the cutting shop has remained frozen in time: the machines and tools are kept in the workshops and on the workbenches. The whole collection benefited from an inventory by the Henri-Lecoq Museum as part of the PASTEC (Scientific and Technical Heritage) mission launched by the Ministry of Culture. Purchased by the Royat town hall, the carving workshop is currently being studied with a view to reopening. "

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