About the collection - Xclusive Minerals

You often make beautiful plans in life. Sometimes they come true, but sometimes things don’t go the way you want them to. The trick is not to get stuck in the negative. But to find a new way. A path in which you learn to make do with what you have. No matter how difficult that may be. Below is the story about the collection, its ambition and how quickly things can change.

Where does the fascination for the stones come from ?

Actually I have Swiss roots and every year when we went into the mountains we came back with “the most beautiful stones”. They had to be taken to the Netherlands. My father didn’t like it, the car was already loaded. But he grumbled.

Later, I really started to dig for semi precious material on a large scale. Even before I had met Carla, there was already a very large collection in my house. Mainly from Europe and the Middle East. It was also at that time that I learned to polish in Idar Oberstein, the then capital of gemstones in the world. The time of collecting had begun and would continue for many years to come.

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But how do you get so many ?

After I met Carla, everything went into overdrive. Not so much because she is such a big fan of Minerals , but more because we have been on the road a lot together in the world. Carla for the pictures and me for the stones. In addition to almost all of Europe, we have often been far away for months and sometimes a year; Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Tibet, Iceland, Thailand, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, USA, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil etc. etc. And often several times. Often with their own Camper or even Motorcycle. And guess what? Where did the trips often go? Not only along the most beautiful sights of those countries, but also along many mines where the most beautiful crystals and minerals are found.

Can you visit mines worldwide then ?

Well, you can’t search everywhere dig yourself. In Europe, we have been in quarries a lot. In the USA you have U-DIGS. In those quarries you pay a kind of entrance fee and you can keep what you find. The best part is Diamond Crater State Park where you can still find real diamonds yourself. And you can keep them even if you have found them yourself. It is less simple in the developing world. The mines there are often managed by the local population and they are rightly not in the area. They are not waiting for a Westerner to come and scavenge in their quarries. There you have to buy it neatly from the miners and you just pay them a fair price. Fair and honest. That has given us a lot of good friends. Often we were invited for a tour in the mine, tea, food and sometimes we could stay overnight. Not that we always wanted the latter, because luxury and privacy are interpreted slightly differently in those kinds of countries.

How much and what have you collected ?

A lot, a lot. The estimate is at least 50,000 pieces in 50 years. So in itself that’s not too bad, but 1000 a year. In those years, all the material was never really unpacked after arrival, but stored in a large warehouse. The reason was very simple; Way too busy with other things like work, family and acquaintances.
Now the question what do I have.
Well honestly I kind of know. Here’s a list of what I can remember now. Agate, Amethyst, Aventurine, Azurite, Rock Crystal, Sodalite, Carnelian, Calcite, Amber, Tiger’s Eye, Rose Quartz, Gagate, Tourmaline, Witch’s Agate, Barite, Fluorite, Topaz, Smoke Quarz, Gold, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Double Ends, Lemurian Crystals, Calcedony, Labradorite, Beryl, Aquamarine, Git, Rodorosite, Rodonite, Las Vigas Amethyst, Lemon Quarz, Sulfur, Cobalt, Malachite, Vanadenite, Spesartien, Galenite, Chromite, etc etc etc. Large and sometimes very small in the form of micromounts.
Could there be a page filling me. It’s more that my memory is failing me. But hey, that’s what you get later in life 🙂

But what were you going to do with it ?

Well, that has been the question for a long time. What to do with that huge collection that was gathering dust in storage. For a long time I had no idea. First I had to build it further, the idea would come naturally, or so I thought. And indeed, on a beautiful summer’s day, Carla and I knew. When I retired, we would start a kind of Experience museum. Carla with her love for beads and my collection got their own little world in which we were able to introduce everyone to 2 wonderful hobbies. Aimed at adults, but also at the upcoming generations. Soon there were more than enough ideas and dreams. Not only showing the collection but also giving polishing lessons, identification courses, jewelry courses and all those kinds of fun things that everyone can enjoy.

Retiring seemed a long way off.

But that’s not going to be it ?

Unfortunately. A few years ago, I was rushed to the hospital. Could hardly talk anymore and saw everything double . A bizarre experience, of which no one had a clue what was going on. Many studies followed, each more curious than the last. It was a strange time with a lot of uncertainties. Well years before that, I had been very tired for a long time and I slept often. But yes, I also worked a lot and was on the road a lot. So maybe waSo maybe a bit overtired was the idea. The neurologist’s verdict turned out to be different. In the end, I turned out to have Myasthenia Gravis. A troublesome muscle disease that is also incurable. The first year was mainly about trying out which medication could get the symptoms under control. The Prednisone in particular turned out to be quite an intense experience from which even my day and night rhythm reversed. The 2nd year of became one of rehabilitation. A number of years ago nowNow, a few years later, things are going a lot better. I have learned to ‘live with it’ as they call it. But I also often run into limits. Because yes, it is and remains an unpredictable, difficult condition to deal with

And now what’s next ?

Well, that was a tough one. Carla and I thought for a long time whether it was still wise to set up this Experience museum. In the end, the decision was made not to do it. Because none of the children has the ambition to further expand the collection, a difficult decision was made.
Most of the Collection will be sold and part of the money will be used to support a number of charities.

First of all, we help the local population in Midelt Morocco to set up a number of agate polishing factories, so that they can earn an income themselves.
Now selling such a huge collection sounds easier than it is, because of course you want those “children” who have been collected with so much love to find a good new home. Because of this, this site was founded and we have been working hard in the Corona year to set up the Collection Outlet. Still a bit of Still a bit of an Experience center where you are welcome to get acquainted with the minerals and crystals. And the prices, well, we’ll figure that out no worries mate as they say Down Under