Sinkankas Symposium – Feldspar

THE SINKANKAS SYMPOSIUM 2010 — GEM FELDSPARS

Photograph by Harold and Erica Van Pelt

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 or occupations. The theme of the eighth annual Symposium was Gem Feldspars.

The Sinkankas Symposium has been described as the most important gemological conference in North America by respected authorities on gemstones. Organized by Roger Merk, the annual event is co-sponsored by the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which has provided the Symposium venue for the past eight years. Bill Larson has been a generous supporter and lively speaker at the event since its inception.

SINKANKAS SYMPOSIUM 2010 — GEM FELDSPARS

The 2010 Sinkankas Symposium on Gem Feldspars was held on April 17, 2010, at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Carlsbad, California. Ten speakers presented eleven lectures to an audience of 150 attendees. Highlights from the program included recent gemological and analytical research on Chinese andesine presented by Shane McClure, Director of the West Coast Identification Services at the GIA laboratory in Carlsbad, CA, and Dr. George Rossman, Professor of Mineralogy in the Division of Geology and Planetary Sciences at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

Selected papers prepared for the symposium and articles on Gem Feldspars are available for purchase. For more information about the papers/To place an order »

This event was as amazing as all of the Sinkankas Symposiums have been…intelligent speakers addressing an appreciative audience…always a great combination!

The event was held on the gorgeous Robert Mouawad Campus at the Headquarters of the Gemological Institute of America – always a beautiful and gracious host!

In a follow up post I will be discussing the Speakers and the GIA Campus.