Collaborating within a network
You can’t build a knowledge center on your own. That’s why Stapel van Stenen isn’t just a platform for sharing knowledge, but also a network of experts, collectors, sellers, and organizations who share their expertise with one another.
By collaborating with specialists from various fields, the knowledge center can offer a wide and reliable range of information, courses, and activities related to minerals, gemstones, and related geological topics. Collaborations can take various forms, such as developing courses, joint projects, knowledge exchange, or activities at events and trade shows.
On this page, you’ll find a list of the people and organizations that Stapel van Stenen works with.
Do you work with minerals or gemstones and are you interested in contributing to this network? Please feel free to contact us to discuss the possibilities.
Experts and instructors
On the Stapel van Stenen online learning platform, various experts collaborate to make their knowledge accessible through online courses. By combining the expertise of different specialists, we create a broader and more substantive range of courses for enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Marloes Hoekstein – Goldsmith Steinisch
An expert on opals and a creator of opal jewelry. Marloes developed the online course “Opals – A World of Color,” in which she explains the geology, characteristics, and identification of opals.
Course: Opals – A World of Color
Henk Rijneveld FGA – gemologist and appraiser
Gemologist (FGA) specializing in cut gemstones and jewelry appraisals. Henk developed an online course on exactly what gemstones are, which properties are important for identification, and how to systematically examine cut gemstones using traditional gemological instruments.
Course: Learn to Identify Gemstones
Want to learn more about developing a course on the platform?
Collaboration with sellers
Stapel van Stenen also has a network of mineral and gemstone sellers who are part of the Sellers Community. In this community, sellers share knowledge and experience on topics relevant to their daily work.
In this way, we work together to improve the provision of information about stones, discuss current developments within the industry, and share knowledge about entrepreneurship in the mineral and gemstone trade. An important topic we are currently actively working on is safety information regarding minerals and gemstones in the context of the European GPSR regulations.
Many sellers also contribute photos and examples to the Gem or Scam library, thereby helping to expand reliable knowledge about gemstones.
Collaboration with specific experts – Henk Rijneveld FGA
I collaborate with gemologist Henk Rijneveld, FGA, in a number of ways. Henk and I regularly staff an identification booth together at mineral shows, where visitors can have their minerals and gemstones identified and ask questions about their finds, cut stones, or jewelry.
We also record podcasts on topics at the intersection of mineralogy and gemmology, such as when a stone can actually be called a gemstone and the much-discussed topic of citrine. In 2025, Henk collaborated with Stapel van Stenen to develop an online course on gemstone identification. You can also find interesting stories about gemstones on his website.
For the identification of cut gemstones or appraisals of jewelry containing gemstones, I would like to refer you to Henk, who, as a gemologist and appraiser, has extensive experience in this field.
Partners in the minerals industry
In addition to individual experts, Stapel van Stenen also collaborates with various companies in the minerals and gemstone industry.
Bodemschat
I have been working with Tom Verbeek of Bodemschat in Hengelo for a long time on minerals, geological tools, and resources for identification and research. While Stapel van Stenen focuses on knowledge and education, Bodemschat provides the instruments and materials used in practical applications.
Together, we also develop practical kits that complement the courses offered by Stapel van Stenen, such as identification aids for the introductory course “Identifying Minerals ” and gemological instruments for the course “Learn to Identify Gemstones.”
In addition, we exhibit side by side twice a year at the international mineral fair in Rijswijk, and Bodemschat organizes the Mineralogica mineral fair in Hengelo, where I am also present.
Colorgems
I collaborate with Wim Bruines of Colorgems on the topic of mineral fluorescence. Wim has become a specialist in this field and designs and builds UV lamps and UV cabinets specifically developed for studying and displaying fluorescent minerals.
Colorgems regularly attends mineral shows, offering a wide selection of UV lamps and fluorescent minerals, as well as demonstrations that reveal the effects of UV light. At Stapel van Stenen, we are exploring the possibility of sharing this expertise in an educational format through an online course on mineral fluorescence.
Mineral Analysis
For specialized research and analysis of minerals, I regularly collaborate with Mineralanalytik, Joy Desor’s laboratory in Germany. When identification based on external characteristics, physical properties, or simple tests does not provide a definitive answer, laboratory analysis can offer a solution.
The results of these analyses are regularly published in articles in the Gem or Scam Library, where imitations, synthetic stones, and misleading trade names of gemstones are examined and documented. If you have an unknown mineral or rock, I can often perform an initial identification and, if necessary, have a sample analyzed. Please feel free to contact me.
Partnering with Stapel van Stenen
The network surrounding Stapel van Stenen continues to grow. New partnerships often emerge from a shared interest in minerals, gemstones, and geology, as well as a common goal of making reliable information on these topics accessible.
Are you an expert, collector, researcher, or entrepreneur working with minerals or gemstones, and are you interested in collaborating with Stapel van Stenen? This could include developing a course, recording a podcast, sharing knowledge, conducting research, or other forms of collaboration.
Please feel free to contact us to discuss the options.
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