I was born in 1964 in Belgium and I live nearby the city of Antwerp, in the northern and Flemish (or Dutch) speaking part of Belgium.
Without any familiar background in mineral collecting but always with the support of my parents, who always accompanied me at young age on collecting trips and to mineral shows in Belgium and Germany, I started already to collect minerals when I was a ten year "old" boy.

Years ago after my first visit to a major mineral show, I deceided to reduce my collection in quantity and collect only on quality. Around that time I started also to participate at mineral shows as a part time mineral dealer, but I always considered myself more a collector than a dealer.
These days I do only a few local shows a year as a mineral dealer, but as a very passionate collector you can find me each year again at all the major American and European mineral shows, always in surch for some specimens that makes the trip worth.
My personal collection is based on aesthetic, undamaged and unrepaired mineral specimens and gem crystals from worldwide locations. I must admit that because of the more than sixty trips that I have made so far to the American Continent, that specimens from North America and from Brazil are well represented in my collection.

And as a passionate collector I am always in search to add new specimens to my collection or to upgrade specimens for my collection. That means that dealers or other collectors who have aesthetic, undamaged and UNREPAIRED mineral specimens or gem crystals to sell or to trade that could interest me, that they can always contact me.

Only around fiftien percent of the specimens in my collection is already pictured, but you can see some of my specimens on the Saint-Marie-Aux-Mines website by following this link: http://www.minerapole.com/a_/b_ofc38.html

Regards,
Mario Pauwels