Jeweller - May 2024

REVIEW
Gems
Gemmologists who changed the game:
Sylvia Whincup
In the latest addition to Jeweller’s
‘Gemmologists who changed the game’
series, it’s time to shine a light on the
contributions of Sylvia Whincup.
Born in 1921, Whincup was a pioneering female
figure in earth sciences and gemmology in
Australia. She graduated from Melbourne
University in 1942 with a Bachelor of Science
degree in geology and chemistry and completed
her Master of Science in 1943.
She was married to Charles Reginald Whincup,
a Royal Australian Air Force flight officer who
died while serving in the Second World War.
Whincup gave birth to their son, Peter Reginald
Whincup, in 1944, the same year she published
her master’s thesis.
In 1946, Whincup was appointed a mineralogist
at the National Museum in Melbourne.
Museums Victoria notes that she was the first
person appointed to this official post and was
tasked with reorganising and registering the
museum's mineral and rock collection.
Her appointment received media coverage
due to her specialised skillset and, in part, her
success as a woman in such an important role.
A feature article about Whincup, 'Rocks Are Her
Livelihood,' was printed in The Argus in July
1947. It describes her position at the museum
as a "most remarkable job for a woman".
Whincup expanded the museum's collections by
sourcing mineral specimens and encouraging
her colleagues to do the same.
In an article titled ‘Sylvia Whincup: A Prolific
Collector and Groundbreaking Mineralogist’
written for Museums Victoria, Nik McGrath and
Robert French reflected on the contribution
made during her time at the museum.
The authors noted that Sylvia added more than
5,000 specimens to the collection, including 167
new species — an increase of over 30 per cent
in just four years.
Whincup’s passion was evident in her work
and the time she spent fossicking, and she
frequently donated mineral specimens to the
museum's collections.
Sylvia Whincup numbers a crystal topaz from the National Museum of Victoria in Melbourne. Source: National Archives.
From the 1940s, the profession of gemmologist
was becoming recognised within the Australian
jewellery industry, and formal education
pathways were beginning to emerge.
An initial course in gemmology was offered
through the Federated Retail Jewellers
Association (FRJA) until 1942-1943, before
a dedicated institution, The Gemmological
Association of Australia (GAA), was founded in
October 1945.
Whincup dedicated her time to the newly
formed GAA, giving weekly lectures to
members at the Melbourne branch. The
Sciences Collections Online Coordinator for
Museums Victoria, Dr Ursula Smith,reflected on
Whincup’s legacy.
"She was keen to encourage people to visit
the collections and learn about them and
was instrumental in setting up the museum's
first gem displays [and was] particularly
interested in gemmology, training members
of the Gemmological Association in gem
identification,” writes Smith.
Whincup remarried in 1950 to Bob Whitehead,
another geologist, with whom she would have
two sons,Richard and Brian.
Unfortunately, this cut short her career at
the National Museum of Victoria due to the
imposed bar forbidding married women to work
in the Commonwealth Public Service.
Whincup moved from Victoria to South Australia
to work as a petrologist for BHP and the
Australian Mineral Development Laboratories
(AMDEL) until her retirement in 1981.
Whincup died on 12 November 2012. Today, the
public can appreciate Whincup's contributions
to the National Museum of Victoria through the
extensive mineral collection, many of which she
collected and donated.
She was a pioneering figure during a time
when it was difficult for Australian women to
progress professionally. She navigated personal
tragedy and motherhood while trailblazing a
career in the earth sciences.
Teaghan Hall is a fine art graduate with a
specialised interest in antique jewellery. She works
in the antique jewellery trade and has written for
various industry publications while studying with
the Gemmological Association of Australia.
For more information on gems and gemmology,
visit www.gem.org.au
May 2024 | 27