The Saphira Minerals Team
DI(FH) Rudolf Watzl - Basically, it was one particular experience that marked the beginning of everything for me: During a collecting trip through the Alps, my father let me dive into a chasm, head first, when I was six years old. The discovery of impressively beautiful crystals in this cave sparked my passion for minerals.
My parents are ardent collectors as well: They supported me in developing and expanding my knowledge of minerals. From my childhood onward, I enjoyed further collection trips through the Alps, visits to numerous international mineralogical museums, various mineral shows and countless meetings with like-minded friends. Although I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Eco-Energy Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences in Wels, my growing interest in minerals led me to turn my hobby into a career as a minerals trader. After several years of a successful collaboration with my brother, „Saphira Minerals“ was established in 2013, a company which I run full-time nowadays. However, I do not consider myself to be merely a retailer of minerals; I am still an enthusiastic collector as well. My first collection consisted solely of Alpine minerals, but my interests have expanded since then; nowadays I also collect minerals from all around the world; aesthetics are the main criteria in my selection process. Historical and classical specimens also attract my attenttion as well as individual crystals of extraordinary quality. Trading self-collected pieces from the Alps has helped to expand my collection. Since 2007 I have been sharing my interest with my partner, Lisa Pammer – a circumstance which gives me great pleasure! I look forward to spending many more years collecting crystals and meeting friends who share my delight in minerals.
email: rudolf@saphiraminerals.com
Dr. Lisa Watzl is an integral part of the company as she not only assists Rudolf at numerous Mineral Shows but also as a creative mind involved in many decisions. Lisa loves to travel with Rudolf to meet international collectors, traders and miners as far as her timetable allows it.
Even though she spends the major part of her time on her medical profession, she also started a goldsmith education in 2014 in order to deepen her interest in beautiful minerals, gemstones and precious metal: In 2017 she obtained a diploma in jewellery crafts and technology.
Ing. Anton Watzl senior, Rudolf’s father, has been a great support ever since the foundation of Saphira Minerals. Besides specializing in the handling and preparation of minerals, another major focus of his work is taking all the brilliant photographs and videos. His comprehensive expertise of the business for many years and his broad knowledge in mineralogy are a huge and well appreciated help for everyone in Saphira Minerals.
Anton was a teacher at the vocational school situated in Freistadt as well as at the vocational training institute in Linz for many years, teaching physics. He never forgot about his highly esteemed minerals and continuously put his pupils in contact with Alpine quartz, fluorite and other beautiful rocks.
Anton‘s living room is a small museum of Alpine minerals where showcases over showcases present the wide variety of Alpine rocks that he collected together with his wife Inge for decades. Rocks are his profession, his passion and his life!
email: anton@saphiraminerals.com
Mag.(FH) Konrad Reindl is a lateral entrant into the world of minerals and visited his first Mineral Show in October 2011. Since that day his knowledge steadily grew, pushed further by his natural curiosity and love for nature’s beautiful artwork. Among his functions for Saphira Minerals is the preparation of mineral updates on our website, the participation on shows worldwide as well as many other jobs in advertising, distribution and customer care.
Konrad attended the Austrian Marketing University of Applied Sciences in Wieselburg where he graduated in 2005. After several years as a technical manager in a local company he decided that his future is going to lie in the mineral business.
To satisfy his love for nature in a more comprehensive way, Konrad, together with his wife Magdalena, also runs a small farm where he keeps a robust species of pigs; there he also grows potatoes and other crops.
email: konrad@saphiraminerals.com
DI(FH) Yvonne Paschl is the newest member of the Saphira Family. Her main tasks are accounting and the development and improvement of new showcases.
Yvonne attended the University of Applied Sciences in Steyr where she studied production procedures and management. After her graduation in 2006, she worked for several years in a production company where she was responsible for financial and staff related tasks. Besides, she deepened her knowledge on financial and tax related issues in several qualifications.
After the birth of her first child she moved with her family to Freistadt. In autumn 2015 she began to work for Saphira Minerals and to discover the fascinating world of minerals.
email: yvonne@saphiraminerals.com