Welcome !, My name is Karel but my friends call me "Charlie".
I am an enthusiastic collector who collects mainly hand-large pieces from around the world. On this page you will find a wide selection of my private collection, from ordinary, but no less interesting to top specimens.

All PASSIONS ARISE IN YOUR CHILDHOOD...

Many of use have had various reasons to start collecting minerals. My fascination began at very early age, somewhere in the mid fifties and because of my at the time schoolmate Willy.
Willy's parents, who came from a post-war Germany, had recently settled into our neighborhood hoping for a change to build a better life for themselves. The choise for their new home was quite logical as the father was a merchant marine captain and Antwerp, as a major seaport, offered good future prospects. He quickly found what he had hoped to find and left as commander of his ship to the most exotic destinations.

One of his habits was that he brought back someting nice from every journey, from the most diverse native objects to beautiful colourful stones and shiny bits of ore.
It will not amaze you that we as eight year old boys cherished these gems as genuine treasures, which then labeled with name and country of origin, would disappear into empty cigar boxes from the local tobacco shop. After some time this resulted in a bizarre little rock collection, without doubt the primitive precursor of what we nowadays would call a mineral cabinet.

Years went by, friends came and went, but the fascination continued. Fourteen years later in 1970 I bought my first specimen, which would also be the beginning of my current mineral collection.

How about Willy ... He and his parents moved to another city district at the end of primary school, and I would never see my old friend agian.

Charlie