SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL SINKANKAS SYMPOSIUM
– AGATE and CHALCEDONY
Lisbet Thoresen and Stuart Overlin, editors
Photographs by Mia Dixon, Erica and Harold Van Pelt,
Orasa Weldon and Robert Weldon
Specifications: 8.25" x 10.75", digital press, soft cover, perfect binding, 124 pages, 182 illus. full color throughout
Publication Date: June 1, 2021
Table of Contents
Dedication and Acknowledgments 3
Program 4
Speaker and Author Biographies 5
Dona Leicht 8
In Memoriam: Claren (“Si”) Frazier (1933–2020)
Timothy Adams 12
Agate and Chalcedony Objects by Fabergé
Peter J. Heaney 28
Iris Agates and Cantor Dusts: The Textural Complexity of Agates
William Larson 40
Collecting Cryptocrystalline Quartz
Çiğdem Lüle 50
Chalcedonies of Anatolia: From Neolithic to Modern Day
Nathan Renfro 56
The Microworld of Agate and Chalcedony
Si and Ann Frazier 66
A Historical Look at Gemstone Carving
Lisbet Thoresen 68
Harold Van Pelt: A Passion Carved in Stone
Robert Weldon 90
Challenges of Photographing Agates
Robert Weldon, Cathleen Jonathan, and Rose Tozer 100
Gem Virtuosos: The Drehers and Their Extraordinary Carvings
From Gems & Gemology (2017)
Ann Frazier 120
Agate Bibliography
ABOUT THE SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL SINKANKAS SYMPOSIUM
– AGATE and CHALCEDONY (VIRTUAL)
Named for one of the most distinguished and influential figures in gemology and mineralogy, the Sinkankas Symposium is an annual event featuring presentations by noted specialists working in diverse gem-related disciplines.
The theme of the 17th Annual Sinkankas Symposium was Agate and Chalcedony, presented in a virtual format in 2021. The virtual experience featured a menu of eight pre-recorded 30 to 40-minute exclusive presentations available to view on-demand from Saturday, April 24, 2021 until Monday, June 7, 2021 on the 2021 Sinkankas Eventbrite page (Now Closed).
Si and Ann Frazier, in El Cerrito, California. Photo: Jim Parrish.
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 Gemological Society of San Diego (GSSD) and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Bill Larson has been a generous supporter and speaker at the event since its inception.
The symposium in 2021 was held in honor of Si Frazier and Ann Frazier who have dedicated their lives to the study of the science, history, and beauty of agate and chalcedony. Si was a popular speaker at the Sinkankas Symposium and author of past Sinkankas Symposia articles.
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL SINKANKAS SYMPOSIUM
– FORMAT, REGISTRATION & TIMELINE
Eight 30 to 40-minute pre-recorded presentations available to browse on demand
at the Sinkankas Symposium EventBrite web page (Event Closed).
REGISTRATION: Closed.
SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL SINKANKAS SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
– SPEAKERS & TOPICS*
Recognized specialists in fields ranging from geology and mineralogy to history, treatment, cutting and collecting will present on Agate and Chalcedony:
Tim Adams
Fabergé's Work with Agate and Chalcedony
Patrick Dreher
Dreher Carvings of Agates and Chalcedony
Dr. Peter Heaney
The Complex Mineralogy of Agates
William Larson
Collecting Crypto-crystalline Quartzes: A Conversation with Bill
Dr. Ciğdem Lüle
Chalcedonies of Anatolia: From Neolithic to Modern Day
Nathan Renfro
The Micro-World of Agate and Chalcedony
Dr. George R. Rossman
Cause of Color in Agate and Chalcedony
Robert Weldon
Challenges of Photographing Agates
* Presentations are subject to change without notice.
Iris Agate (90.2 x 86.1 mm), from Chihuahua Mexico. Photo by Robert Weldon, courtesy of Si and Ann Frazier.
Wilhelm Lindemann, Will Larson and Ekkehard Schneider
Dreher Carvings: Five Generations of Gemstone Animals from Idar-Oberstein
(2018)Selected masterpieces of lapidary carving by world-renowned gem carvers Peter and Gerd Dreher.
English. Hardcover with dust jacket, 240 pages, size: 22 x 29 cm, 200 color ills. Arnoldsche.
Peter Heaney, Gloria Staebler with Bill Besse, Ann Frazier, Patricia Gray, eds.
Agate – Banded Beauty
Mineral Monograph No. 21
(2020)Contributions by: Peter Heaney, Si and Ann Frazier, Patricia Gray, Michael Gray, Alfredo Petrov, George Rossman, John Koivula and Tarun Adlakhaeds. Illustrations by: Robert Weldon, Jeff Scovil.
Perfect binding, 140 pages, size: A4. Lithographie.
Johann Zenz
Agates
(2014)This book is an updated, limited edition of the first of three volumes on Agate by Johann Zenz.
English. Hardcover, 656 pages, size: 24x28 cm, 2,000 ills. Limited edition. Bode.
Dietrich Mayer
Exquisite Agates
(2017)This book features 900 favorite specimens from the collection of Dietrich Mayer.
English and German. Hardcover, 424 pages, size: 24x28 cm. Limited edition. Bode.
- There is a wide selection of Agate and Chalcedony resources available in the GIA Library