2023 Sinkankas Symposium

NINETEENTH ANNUAL SINKANKAS SYMPOSIUM - SAN DIEGO COUNTY GEMS AND MINERALS

Named for one of the most distinguished and influential figures in gemology and mineralogy, the Sinkankas Symposium is an annual one-day event featuring presentations by noted specialists working in diverse gem-related disciplines.

The theme for 2023 will be San Diego County Gems and Minerals. The Nineteenth Annual Sinkankas Symposium, will convene on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the GIA worldwide headquarters and Robert Mouawad Campus in Carlsbad, California.

The Sinkankas Symposium has been described as the most important gemological conference in North America by respected authorities on gemstones. Organized by Roger Merk for 13 years (2003–2015), the annual event is co-sponsored by the Geo-Literary Society and the Gemological Institute of America, which has provided the Symposium venue every year. Bill Larson has been a generous supporter and speaker at the event since its inception. This year's symposium will be the first in-person event held since 2019. We look forward to seeing you this year.

Twelve recognized specialists in fields ranging from geology and mineralogy to history, treatment, cutting and collecting will present on the Gems and Minerals of San Diego County:

• Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez – Tales from the Pala Chief Mine
• Bill Larson – The Great Tourmalines of the Pala Gem Mining District
• Will Larson – Himalaya Mine Treasures
• Brendan Laurs – Geology of San Diego County Pegmatites
• Nathan Renfro – Inclusions in Gems and Minerals from San Diego County
• Dr. Skip Simmons – Crystallography of Tourmaline
• Cal Graeber – San Diego County Mines and Minerals
• Meg Berry – Cutting the Gems of San Diego County
• Paula Crevoshay – Eureka!
• Dr. Aaron Celestian – Using Gems to Illuminate Art and Science
• Dr. George R. Rossman and Dr. Aaron Palke – The Causes of Color of the San Diego County Gem Minerals

Registration for the one-day event includes continental breakfast, lunch and snacks, as well as a copy of the 2023 Sinkankas Symposium Proceedings Volume, which features selected papers on San Diego Gems and Minerals.

Each attendee much be registered under his/her own name (no group registrations under one name) and valid government issued photo ID required at GIA security gate to access the event.

To order additional copies of the proceedings, please email events@gia.edu, or visit https://sinkankas.dpidirect.com/.