2_3_DiscoverBenelux_Issue14_January2015_Scan Magazine 1 26/01/2015 19:17 Page 45
Natureâs art, millions of years old TEXT:âBERTHEâVANâDENâHURKââ|â PHOTOS:âDEâOUDEâAARDE
âMany people find us when visiting the picturesque town Giethoorn, also known as the Venice of the North. When they discover our museum and shop, they are mostly surprised by the remarkable collection of stones and jewellery we have," says Neeltje Zijlstra, owner of De Oude Aarde. DeâOudeâAardeâ(theâancientâearth)âhasâone ofâtheâbestâgemstone,âmineral,âfossilâand jewelleryâ collectionsâ ofâ theâ Netherlands. Theyâhaveâaâhugeâcollectionâofâhigh-qualityâ stonesâ fromâ allâ overâ theâ world.â They evenâhaveâtheâbiggestâAepyornis-eggâever foundâamongâotherârareâandâuniqueâminerals.â Theâ assortmentâ isâ immense.â De Oudeâ Aardeâ isâ notâ justâ aâ museumâ and shop,â butâ alsoâ aâ mainâ wholesalerâ inâ the field:ââInâDeâOudeâAardeâstonesâloseâtheir stuffyâappearance:âhereâtheyâareâelevated toâart;ânatureâsâart,âmillionsâyearsâofâage.â
Exclusive jewellery âWeâ areâ moreâ thanâ aâ museumâ orâ rock shop,ââsaysâZijlstra.ââForâourâspecialâcus-
tomers,âweâareâalwaysâlookingâforâsomethingâexquisiteâandâthisâisâdisplayedâinâour specialâdepartmentâwithâexclusiveâjewellery andâmineralâshowpieces. Rings,â braceletsâ andâ necklacesâ areâ createdâwithâhighâqualityâstonesâthatâareâset intoâjewelleryâinâItaly.âAccordingâtoâZijlstra theâ largeâ selectionâ ofâ exclusiveâ jewellery piecesâ areâ intendedâ forâ theâ âenjoyably pamperedâ customerâ.â Zijlstra:â âThisâ jewelleryâisânotâmadeâwithâjustâordinaryâstones orâ fossils,â weâ useâ theâ bestâ Tourmaline, Aquamarine,â Pearl,â Sunstone,â andâ Tanzaniteâ etc...â Theâ departmentâ isâ exclusive butâaccessibleâandâcanâbeâvisitedâwithout appointment.â
teenâ years,â muchâ hasâ changed.â Zijlstra concludes:â âTheâ farthestâ cornersâ ofâ the worldâandâdepthsâofâtheâearthâareâmoreâaccessibleâthanâever.âWeâtravelâtheâworldâto findâtheâbestâshowpiecesâandâstones,âindeedânotâtheâworstâthingâourâjobâoffers.âWe goâforâquality,âforâusâthatâsâtheâmostâimportantâthing.â www.deoudeaarde.nl
History Forty-sixâ yearsâ ago,â inâ 1969,â adventurer ReneâBoissevainâdecidedâtoâquitâhisâyearâs longâjourneyâaroundâtheâworldâtoâsettleâin Giethoorn.âDuringâhisâtravelsâheâhadâgained anâimpressiveâcollectionâofâgemsâandâminerals.â Withâ thisâ heâ successfullyâ founded theâmuseumâandâshop.âOverâtheâpastâfif-
Issue 14 |â Februaryâ2015 |â 45