About us
Aesthetic, Affordable Products
ZA Minerals is a well-renowned e-commerce Shop. We have continually featured a variety of high-quality and affordable products since day one.
Our passion for excellence has driven us from the beginning and continues to drive us into the future.
Thank you to all our online customers, especially during our time as ZAminerals on eBay (since 2011) which we have since moved away from, and all of you who have found us on facebook and instagram...
You guys Rock! We are forever grateful.
Who We Are
.The Rock Lover.
Our desert rat, Adriaan Bornman, has been specializing in Southern African minerals and crystals for over 20 years.
He loves traveling and is always keen for new fulfilling adventures.
Adriaan is our buyer and drives thousands of kilometers throughout Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Madagascar to source and hand-select stunning aesthetic crystals and minerals, direct from small-scale miners.
Dabbling in crystal hunting in his teens which, of course, had him hooked. He stumbled upon the Cactus Quartz (Spirit Quartz) locality and was very good at working with the locals to keep the locality under wraps for years, before beady-eyed rock-hounds moved in to move tonnes. In the late 90's early 00's, after purchasing many a crystal from Karl Sprich...a very good persuader. Karl persuaded Adriaan to work for him.
Not that Adriaan needed any persuading, but if you knew Karl– I’m sure you’ll agree, he sure knew the tricks of persuasion!
In 2010, Adriaan met Oy-Ling while trading side by side at a well known Johannesburg market. A good few months later, ZA minerals was birthed.
You may have crossed paths with Mr. Bornman on his many travels around the globe, where he was eating, looking at (buying or selling) rocks, or both!
Gen X — Aries — Earth Horse
.The ex-Showgirl.
Yes indeed! #Truestory. Oy-Ling (a.k.a Miss Oh!) is currently on sabbatical from her Burlesque Showgirl life. Where she put many after-hour years into creating and producing shows, as well as hosted many female empowerment and body confidence courses in Johannesburg, South Africa.
She is well traveled, left South Africa at 18 and lived in England (London), Spain (Andalucia) and the Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman) before returning ‘home’. Why Rocks? Her family will always tell you that when Oy-Ling was a child, they would wonder why her school bag was so heavy– and when they looked in her bag, Lo and behold! It was filled with rocks she had collected.
Rock hoarder to Rock Sharer!
Oy-Ling met Adriaan whilst trading next to him at Rosebank market, where she was selling corsets and all things Burlesque- and he was selling an extensive range of minerals. She was constantly helping at his stall (which also doubled as Karl and Lucille's little shop), whereas hers was far too avant-garde!
Love blossomed, and so did the rock business. ZA minerals e-tail was birthed in 2011.
The Desert Rat and ex-showgirl married 8 years later (2019), or as they say “contracted to each other”.
The rest is theirstory. See what we did there?
Gen Y — Scorpio — Water Dog
.Girls- run the world.
We are very thankful to have been offered the chance to have this intelligent, supersonic learning, driven young lady on our team!
.Writer, Marketing Genius & Future Anthropologist.
If you have purchased from us, you will have come across Paula through messaging, emails, social media or telephone.
Our right hand lady and Specialist Project Manager. You will have read her descriptions of stones on eBay, or seen her content on Instagram and Facebook. Paula was thrown into the deep-end of our business multiple times. When she first arrived back in 2017 and learnt (very fast) to list 30 stones per day with the correct geological research to boot! And in 2020, we sent her to Mauritius to start all the processes and beginnings of the new head office, which (as some of you may well know) is very challenging to do when having to start from scratch- especially from a new country, very different to what we are all used to!
Paula is our Miss Positive and keeper of good vibes only! She sets order to our office life and can answer your questions about minerals.
Do not tamper with this, Ever.
Exhibits with Adriaan at the French show (Sainte-Marie-aux-mines), in June.
Gen Z — Leo — Fire Ox
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When your precious treasures arrive at your doorstep in good order, that’s all down to one of the team.
Protector of crystals. You will see our handiwork online on rockon.mu and at your house (please unwrap carefully!).