SINKANKAS, John 1915-2002

OBITUARY NOTICE—See index for CA sketch: Born May 15, 1915, in Paterson, NJ; died of heart and lung ailments May 17, 2002, in San Diego, CA. Gemologist, minerologist, lapidary, and author. Sinkankas was an internationally renowned gemologist who wrote books that have become standard reference sources for those in his profession. He received his bachelor's degree from New Jersey State Teachers College (now William Paterson College of New Jersey) in 1936, then joined the U.S. Navy as a pilot from 1936 until 1961. While in the service, Sinkankas continued a lifelong interest in gems by taking correspondence courses from the Gemological Institute of America; he also received further training at the University of California at San Diego. Sinkankas published his first book on gems in 1955: Gem Cutting: A Lapidary's Manual. From there he continued to write about the subject. Many of his books have becomes standards in the field, among them the three-volume Gemstones of North America (1959, 1976, 1993) and Emeralds and Other Beryls (1981). Among his other works are Standard Catalogue of Gems (1968), Beryl (written with Peter G. Read; 1986), Gemology: An Annotated Bibliography (1993), Humboldt's Travels in Siberia (1837-1842): The Gemstones by Gustav Rose (1994), and the edited work Earth Science Studio Handbook of Minerals by Helmuth Boegel (1971). Sinkankas was such an influential figure in the field of gemology that in 1984 a new phosphate mineral was named after him—sinkankasite; some of his lapidary work is also displayed at the Smithsonian Institute. His private reference collection of over 10,000 books was sold to the Gemological Institute of America in 1988.

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Writers Directory, 16th edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 2001.

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2002, p. B12.

New York Times, June 16, 2002, p. A23.

Washington Post, June 8, 2002, p. B7.