gems, jade, pyroxene jade, fei cui, mesoamerica, Guatemala, Mexico, Aztec, Olmec, Maya

Sinkankas: Of the 27 essays in all, the following are of particular interest, especially to the student of Pre-Columbian jades: M. W. Stirling, “The Olmecs, artists in jade,” 43–59, 10 photos; Elizabeth K. Easby, “The Squier jades from Toniná, Chiapas,” 60–80, 10 photos & drawings; and Carlos Balser, “Some Costa Rican jade motifs,” 210–17, 3 photos. Most of the photos show more than one object, some as many as eight. Stirling’s article is valuable because of its discussions of styles of carving, raw materials, and techniques of the lapidary. Easby’s article essentially republishes a series of famous jade carvings in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, originally collected by Ephraim George Squier (1821–1888), and described by him, along with engraved plates in his “Observations on a collection of chalchihuitls from Mexico and Central America,” Lyceum of Natural History of New York, Annals, 9, 1870, 246–65. Easby attempts to fix the exact site of the discovery and the dates of the jades, and provides descriptions of the carvings. The photographs are the first to appear in print for these pieces. Balser’s article discusses the curious forms of the small figurines which appear to be typical of Pre-Columbian Costa Rican cultures and the possible influence of other cultures upon them. Reprinted, identical, 1964, with that date on tp.