hey - I live in South Africa - a place called Pine Town in the province of Kwa Zulu Natal. My home is about 20 minutes from Durban - east coast. One of my first loves is oil painting - second, collecting stones from all over S.A. I've actually brought home a stone, sometimes a few from every place I've visited in S.A. - and I've been to a lot of South African places - areas. The rocks / stones I've collected were mainly weathered rock to place in my garden or for a bonsai. I started sliversmithing as a hobby - then found I need pretty stones - next I joined a Mineral and gem club, started to learn about minerals - here is where I became interested in collecting stone to cut and polish, some to keep as specimens - Since I've been just about all over S.A. , I know of a place or 2 to collect - Namaqualand, our border to Namibia, is the place I like best. Its an arid place where all sorts of minerals are found - from diamonds down.