gems, general essays

Sinkankas: Short essays on many gemstones and their varieties, taken in alphabetical order and prefaced by remarks on the properties of gemstones, their history and value, etc. The essays emphasize legend, but some technical data and locality information are provided. There is much odd information incorporated in this work which is of some value, but on the whole most of the information can be found in better sources. In connection, Anderson, The Gemmologist, 9, 101, 1939, p. 66–7 states in his review: “The translation shows every sign of being carried out with careful literal exactness… there are many passages, however, in which Mrs. Brogden seems definitely to have gone off the rails; when either her knowledge of Italian or of gemstones has not been adequate for her task, unless Castellani himself has been guilty of some very peculiar statements.” Some of the latter are noted by Anderson. Scarce.