Passed Away – Herbert Nägele

I regret to inform you that on Friday the 23rd March 2012 we had to bid farewell to Herbert Nägele the former owner of the House of Gems.
After much suffering we are grateful for his peaceful deliverance.

Born in Austria on the 31st of May 1940, Herbert left his home-land in 1972 for Cape Town and then finally settled in Windhoek in 1984.

The ‘rock-bug’ hit him when a friend in Austria requested that Herbert send him some of Namibia’s minerals for his collection. This is when Herbert met Sidney Pieters.
They spent many Saturdays together at the House of Gems and soon afterwards, Herbert was purchasing mineral specimens for his own collection.

As the years went on, Herbert as a long time friend of Sid’s was given first choice to buy Sid’s lifelong labor of love, the House of Gems in 2001.



Herbert ran the business with his wife and daughter as a close knit family team.

Under Herbert’s Management the House of Gems - in keeping with the traditions of its founder, worked together with internationally recognized expert publications on elaborating and expanding the knowledge of Namibia’s gemstone and mineral heritage.
Herbert was admired by many for his knowledge, passion and enthusiasm regarding Namibian minerals.

Herbert is survived by his wife Ramona, his daughter Claudia and son Marcel.

Very sorry to hear this, my condolences to you & the family.

I met Herbert just the once, spent some time in the shop talking, Herbert was very helpful, putting me in touch with others. A very kind & helpful gentleman.

Nice tribute Ernst.

Debbie

Thank you for the notice Ernst. SO Sorry to hear this sad news. Herbert was truly in love with mineralogy and a keen eye and curious mind. He was also very sharing. Really enjoyed seeing his fine collection. I treasure the specimens I and my kids bought from him in the shop.

Our condolences to his family and you.
Peter w family

Mary and I were saddened to see via this post that Herbert had left us. During several visits to Namibia, Herbert went out of his way to help us to export specimens that we had acquired in country and, without that help, things would have been a lot more difficult. His love of minerals touched all that he did and all who came in contact with him.
Our sincere condolences to his numerous family members and friends. He will be missed.

Jim Walker& Mary Fong/Walker

My condolences to the family. I have known both Sid and Herbert and I believe that Herbert was a worthy

follower in Sid's footsteps and improved the shop a lot with the help of his family. Rolf Brandt