Can a Rock be a Work of Art? Inside the legacy of Stone gallery

30 May 2025

Can a Rock be a Work of Art? Inside the legacy of Stone gallery

30 May 2025
By Catherine Milner - Treasure House Fair Editor 

When stepping into the world of the Stone gallery, visitors aren’t just encountering rare minerals, fossils, and meteorites—they’re encountering a legacy. Founded in 1963 by a Dutch adventurer inspired by years spent in Brazil, the gallery has since evolved into one of Europe’s most respected destinations for natural history treasures. Today, the father-son duo Roy and Max Masin carry that legacy into the 21st century with a vision that bridges geological time and contemporary design. Roy Masin, the second-generation steward of the gallery, officially took the reins in 1982 after the sudden death of his father. While continuing the family business may have initially seemed like a matter of duty, Roy had already shown a deep, personal curiosity for the natural world. At just 18, he ventured to Siberia with a palaeontologist friend in search of mammoths and meteorites and what began as a continuation of his father’s work soon transformed into a lifelong passion. Roy found himself captivated by the ancient stories locked within stones – stories that span millions of years, preserved in shimmering crystals or prehistoric fossils. His tireless search for exceptional specimens has taken him from the gemstone rich,  treasure islands of Madagascar to the ruby and sapphire mines of India to the cliffs of Dorset embedded with ancient sea creatures, building lasting relationships with miners, scientists, and collectors along the way.


Photographer Anne Hamers. Quartz Geode XL on display in the gallery. Courtesy of Stone gallery.

Joining him in 2015, Max Masin represents the third generation of this family enterprise. Max’s introduction to the world of minerals came much earlier, on a childhood trip to Brazil where he made his first discovery; a rock crystal. Today, he oversees the gallery’s digital presence, event strategy, and creative collaborations. “Our partnership is one of contrast and complement”, says Max. “My father brings decades of expertise and global connections. I bring a fresh perspective, digital strategy, and branding.” Together, they’ve transformed the Stone gallery from a specialist haven for collectors into a cultural touchstone that intersects with art, design, and science. This evolution was marked most clearly five years ago when the gallery began exhibiting at prestigious art and design fairs. “That move changed everything”, Max explains. “We were no longer only speaking to mineral enthusiasts – we began connecting with interior designers, architects, and collectors from across disciplines. The response was powerful. People are often speechless when they see these objects. They realise they’re not just looking at a rock, but a piece of untouched Earth history.”


Photographer Sander Stoepker. Courtesy of Stone gallery.

Among the gallery’s most remarkable current specimens is a 1.5-kilogram lunar meteorite – one of the largest moon rocks available on the market. Its rugged, unassuming exterior belies its cosmic journey: ejected from the Moon by asteroid impact and captured by Earth’s gravity. Another showstopper is a 770-pound rock crystal cluster from Mount Ida, Arkansas, mounted on a motorised base that rotates slowly, showcasing its natural geometry and brilliant clarity. “We like to sell big items and normally specialise in beauty,” says Roy. “There’s something incredibly powerful about scale, especially when you’re dealing with the raw history of our planet.” One dream acquisition currently on their radar is a massive prehistoric elk, once native to Ireland, which had antlers spanning over three metres. “In Sicily, by contrast, they had dwarf elephants, tiny horses, and giant mice. Essentially, animals were bigger in places where they were isolated by being surrounded by water and had no predators,” Roy explains. “It’s a bizarre but fascinating reminder of how evolution shapes the natural world in surprising ways.”

The largest Lunar meteorite on the market. Photographer Suzanne van de Laar. Courtesy of Stone gallery.

While they’ve handled everything from dinosaur fossils to multi-ton amethyst geodes towering over five meters high, Max and Roy remain grounded by a shared commitment: authenticity, education, and ethical sourcing. “We only work with trusted suppliers, many of whom we’ve known for decades,” Roy says. “We also increasingly purchase from old collections and ensure full documentation and provenance wherever possible.” Their participation in the Treasure House Fair marks an exciting milestone. “It’s one of the most important international fairs for us”, Roy says. “Presenting natural history in the same space as fine art validates what we’ve always believed – that these objects belong in museums, yes, but also in the homes and lives of people who appreciate rarity, beauty, and meaning.” The audience for these natural marvels is shifting, too. “We’re seeing much younger collectors than we used to – people in their late twenties and thirties,” Roy notes. “Post-pandemic, there's been a deeper appreciation for timeless, grounding objects that bring nature into the home.”


Photopgrapher Suzanne van de Laar. Courtesy of Stone gallery. 

Collectors from the Netherlands and beyond are drawn to different kinds of pieces: men often favour fossils; women lean toward crystals. But the unifying factor is a desire for natural, unpolished authenticity. And whether the client is a museum curator, interior designer, or private buyer, the gallery’s focus remains the same: to inspire wonder and spark curiosity about the planet. Looking forward, the Stone gallery is preparing for exciting new collaborations, including exhibitions with the Singer Laren Museum and the Drents Museum. Both projects explore the intersection of nature, art, and the age-old concept of the Wunderkammer, or cabinet of curiosities. As they gear up for the Treasure House Fair, one thing is clear: the Masins are not only preserving the past, but also redefining how we see and value it—stone by Stone.

 
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