Gemstones have power, collector says

By Ida Indawati Khouw

JAKARTA (JP): The small Antique Stone store in Pondok Indah shopping mall, South Jakarta, is almost hidden by the restaurants and cafes on the second floor.

If you look into the store, you won't find anything special, just stones scattered among paintings, birds in cages and pieces of paper. Besides, these items are not even arranged properly but just lying around, giving the place a messy appearance.

Only a small number of people seem to patronize the store, which offers precious stones that even date back to millions of years.

"It's true. Only selected people come here," said the Antique Stone store owner Djunaidy Handoko, himself a gemstone collector.

Only stone collectors are aware that Djunaidy's collections are unique, even to geologists or paleontologists.

"I mostly collect wood and coral fossils, which have developed certain shapes and images over the million of years," he said.

People will be surprised to see that what he refers to as "wood", no longer resembles one.

Djunaidy's collection of stones, with the biggest weighing in at 500 kilograms, are certainly astonishing as they have been incredibly crafted by nature. They are all a blend of images and rich colors. The images in the stones include flowers, stars, the cross, dots, monkeys and dogs.

A lot of material is lost when Djunaidy shapes the gemstones and it is a long and laborious task.

However, his pride among his collection are several small stones which have the Arabic words "Allah" and "Muhammad" in them.

"They (the words) were already in the stones before I cut them. I didn't even notice them as I have not studied Arabic. I only realized it after my colleague pointed it out to me," said the 54-year-old man.

Another pride from his collection is the 120 kg wood fossil with a cross on its top and bottom, and an image of a man reading the Koran.

However, Djunaidy had a hard time remembering how much he sold his stones for.

"I don't remember their prices as I sold them according to my feeling. If my heart tells me to sell the stones at a low price, I'll do it, even if their actually cost more," he said.

Father's legacy

Djunaidy continued his late father, Thio Tjan Liang, hobby in collecting stones. He began collecting fossils since he was young but only started paying serious attention to them at 25.

Since then he has made stone collection his business. The stones have earned him enough money to put his two children through school, one of whom has a masters degree in computer science.

He opened his first store in 1985 at the resort area of Cimacan in West Java before he moved it to Glodok Plaza business center in Kota six years later. A year later, Djunaidy moved his store to Pondok Indah Mall simply because his instinct told him so.

Some of his stones, which he mostly keeps at home, have been exhibited in several countries including Japan and Singapore.

"I have also spent lots of money on stones that have no value.

I was fooled by people. This encouraged me to search for stones in mountains, rivers and jungles on my own. This venture is thrilling but it can be very risky. It takes time, money and energy. I feel its a gift from God."

During his search for fossils -- which are mostly found in sedimentary rock formation in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and other smaller islands -- Djunaidy discovered that Indonesia has a rich heritage of fossils. The equatorial climate has made Indonesia an ideal place for coral to grow.

His collection has been recognized by Bandung-based Geological Research and Development Center of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

The ministry's certificate states that Djunaidy's collection "is distinct from those of the common collectors. His collection consists almost entirely of silicified coral and wood fossils, which are cut and polished into unique pieces of gemstone".

Djunaidy believes that all gemstones have power as they were formed by natural forces.

He claimed the power of the gemstone has helped his wife, Tan Siong Ngo, recover when she suffered a stroke six years ago.

"Her doctor said she would not live long, but she has survived until now," he said, looking at his wife who was with him during the interview sitting on a wheelchair and occasionally joining the conversation.

He said he had no idea which stone had healing powers. "The doctor called me a stone shaman," he added.

Djunaidy also believes that his stones has made him stronger as he sleeps on them every day. "By sleeping on them, I feel healthy."

Djunaidy is willing to donate some of his gemstones to museums and research centers around the world to allow more research to be conducted on the stones' powers.

"I hope people all over the world can benefit from them," he said.