2023 Sinkankas Symposium
The Nineteenth Annual Sinkankas Symposium was held at GIA in Carlsbad, California, on April 22. Cohosted by GIA and the Geo-Literary Society, the event’s theme was “San Diego County Gems and Minerals.” Pink tourmaline, kunzite, spessartine garnet, and aquamarine were the focus of 11 presentations (see above).
Emcee Robert Weldon (GIA, Carlsbad) welcomed the capacity crowd to the first in-person Sinkankas Symposium since 2019. Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez (Mineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University) recounted the history of the Pala Chief mine starting in the nineteenth century. Bill Larson and son Will Larson (Pala International, Fallbrook, California) examined the tourmalines of the Pala Gem Mining District and the Himalaya mine, respectively. Brendan Laurs (Journal of Gemmology) overviewed the geology of San Diego County pegmatites. Nathan Renfro (GIA, Carlsbad) showed fascinating inclusion features of various gem minerals from the county. Dr. Skip Simmons (Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, Bethel, Maine) detailed the tourmaline mineral group’s compositional variation, crystal structure, and classification.
Cal Graeber (Fallbrook, California) shared insights based on more than 50 years of experience mining and collecting San Diego County minerals. Lapidary artist Meg Berry (Megagem, Fallbrook, California) shared her decades of experience cutting locally mined tourmalines and showed several of her award-winning creations. By video, Paula Crevoshay (Albuquerque, New Mexico) looked back on her love affair with the gems of Southern California, which have often been incorporated into her acclaimed jewelry designs. Dr. Aaron Celestian (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County) spoke on the use of gems to illuminate art and science. Using the museum’s special exhibit of Crevoshay jewelry as an example, he explained its integration with social media and traditional print media to communicate scientific content. Dr. George Rossman (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena) joined Dr. Aaron Palke (GIA, Carlsbad) in examining the range of colors and color-causing elements in San Diego County gem minerals.
The next Sinkankas Symposium, scheduled for May 2024 in Carlsbad, will be on Burmese gems from Mogok.
