Near our home there lived a loveable, old gentleman with the civil honorary title “Wirklicher Geheimer Bergrat”, and as he came from Prussia the correct way to address him was “Excellency”. 

I suppose he must have liked me - an I enjoyed going to see him because of his wonderful collection of minerals that he had put together in the course of a long life, valuables and rarities. Overl4O different minerals come from the mines, tunnels and shafts of our native mountains. (140 different minerals -this is something unique to our mountains). 

“Feldspar, mica and quartz, I remember them fast” was a typical dogma of the old councillor. I have not forgotten it, nor lost my love for the stones. On my father’s desk was a piece of the heavy black “URANIUM PITCHBLENDE” from Joachimsthal on Keilberg, and on my desk is a peculiary formed stone like aflower (Blumenstein) - a personal legacy from Dr. F.E. Krauss vorm. Schwarzenberg/Erzgebirge - the greatest patron of our old craft from the mountains.