How it started
Passionate by color and light effects, my interest in minerals was stimulated by visiting a mineral fair at St-Job-in-’t-Goor (Belgium) in 1978.  There was a room with fluorescent minerals that drew my attention.  I then became a member of the “Mineralogical Club of Antwerp” and got access to literature and to the knowledge of the members.  But collecting fluorescent minerals was not yet a widespread activity.

I came into contact with the Fluorescent Mineral Society (FMS) in the USA. This society is a worldwide organization, with members in Europe, (I became a member in 1982).
Because I had access to a wide-range of qualitatively good material, my interest increased. In that period I was as a dealer on several mineral fairs.  The interest of collectors was rising and the European membership for the FMS was growing too.  Therefore the central board of the FMS decided to have a European branch with a Regional Vice President.  I became the first Regional Vice President for the "FMS division Europe" from 1990 to 1995.