About Us

I have been interested in minerals since I was a young boy and began a small collection at an early age. My interests were always on the aesthetic properties of natural specimens and their unique forms and habits. Once I began working and had disposable income I started attending mineral shows and building my diverse collection. In the early 1990’s I became dissatisfied with my lack of focus and decided to solely collect calcite ( the bulk of my collection can be viewed at http://www.mindat.org/gallery.php?u=6944 ). I became a dealer in 1994, attending local shows, and gradually built an inventory. In 2007 my wife and I moved to Wilmington North Carolina and subsequently to Tryon NC. We now regularly attend the Hickory and Gastonia NC shows along with the major shows across the USA. You can also find me in Denver and Tucson working with my associate, Isaias Casanova, and spending alot! I have posted a few articles to Mindat, and one that has proven popular is a review of my trip to South Africa and Namibia, which can be viewed herehttp://www.mindat.org/article.php/189/A+South+African+Adventure .

My philosophy is simple. I only purchase minerals for resale that I would buy for myself . This means they are aesthetic, in very good condition, and would present well in a display case. They must also have inherent value, meaning they are well enough bought to allow them to be sold at low to mid retail with some upside potential. I take pride in offering great value, and this is often evident by the number of dealers who buy from me at shows.

I have also established a service for selling off collections that has become quite popular. Instead of simply purchasing an old collection at 10-20% of retail I accept the collections on consignment with a 50/50 split and handle all of the photography, listings and auctioning as well as shipping and handling. The entire process is transparent. There is no risk to the seller and this approach allows the market to decide true value. For higher end material, I am extremely well networked with dealers who work exclusively with high end clientele, and facilitate the best possible returns by targeting known buyers of exclusive specimens. Feel free to ask for details!