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September birthday stones are lapis lazuli and sapphire. In our September, 2007 issue you could read on beautiful blue lapis lazuli. Sapphire is one of the four precious stones and one of the gem varieties of the species corundum. Blue is considered the normal color for sapphire, but it is found in the full range of spectral colors as well as brown, colorless, gray and black (fancy color sapphire). Fully saturated red is known as ruby, and pinkish-orange is called padparadscha. Salmon-color padparadscha sapphires often fetch higher prices than many of even the finest blue sapphires. The word "padparadscha" is Sinhalese for "lotus flower". The English word "sapphire" derives from the Hebrew SAPIR (via Greek SAPPHIROS), but this is extremely disputed. Sapphires were actually not known before the Roman Empire (and were initially considered to be forms of jacinth, rather than deserving of a word to themselves), and prior to that time sapphiros referred to blue gems in general.

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The cost of sapphire gems varies depending on their color, clarity, size, cut, and overall quality. As of 2000, the cost of 1 carat (0.2 g) of a typical uncut, gem quality sapphire was about $1,600. Significant sapphire deposits are found in Eastern Australia, Southeast Asia, and Sri Lanka. Sapphire and rubies are often found together in the same area, but one gem is usually more abundant. The finest sapphires are mined in the disputed territory of Kashmir, as well as Myanmar, Madagascar, and Sri Lanka. Both the Logan sapphire and the Star of Bombay originate from Sri Lankan mines.

Sapphires are also mined in Australia, Thailand, and China. Madagascar leads the world in sapphire production (as of 2007) specifically in and around the city of Ilakaka. Prior to Ilakaka, Australia was the largest producer of sapphires (as of 1987). Ilakaka is prone to violence, but sapphires are found everywhere including on the ground and in the river mud. Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Tanzania, and Kenya also produce sapphires, and less commercially-significant deposits are found in many other countries. The US state of Montana has produced sapphires from both the El Dorado Bar and Spokane Bar deposit near Helena. well known for their intense, pure blue color, Yogo sapphires are found in Yogo Gulch, near Utica, Montana. Gem grade sapphires and rubies are also found in and around Franklin, North Carolina, USA. Several mines are open to the public.

Sapphire facts

1. The 422.99-carat Logan sapphire, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC It is one of the largest faceted gem-quality blue sapphires in the world.

2. The 182 carat (36.4 g) Star of Bombay, housed in the National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, is a good example of a blue star sapphire.

3. The theft of a sapphire known as the "Blue Water" is central to the plot of the novel Beau Geste by P.C.Wren and its various film adaptations.

Jama Watts was born, raised and currently lives in Kentucky. She was introduced to art as most kids, in elementary school. "Getting to go to the art room in elementary school was always something special for me," Jama said. "I loved getting my hands dirty with clay, painting and drawing. But, since my dad was an engineer and I was good at math, I always thought I'd be an architect."

Watts took mostly construction, drafting and other classes in middle and high school, but during the summer of 1992 she began to focus on drama and the arts, and later Jama decided to study art in college. After graduating from college Jama has spent a few years working in jobs that had nothing to do with the arts. In 200 Jama had a life-changing moment: needing a creative outlet, she began stringing beads and making rosaries to pass time. She is a self-taught beader, learning through books, magazines and experience.

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Shortly after her daughter, Amber, was born, Jama left her office job and opened a small art gallery and coffee bar in Lebanon. The gallery, These Precious Things, represents 30 central Kentucky artists, allowing Jama to spend "down time" making jewelry at her desk.

The ideas for her pieces come from a variety of sources. She has a slight addiction to beading magazines and books but most of her inspiration comes from a background in painting, sculpture and nature. She loves color and texture, which shows in her jewelry. Jama often begins a piece as a way to examine a new stitch or color palette then lets the piece tell her where it wants to go. Her favorite work is in freeform beading as she feels it allows her to express herself more freely.

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Jama has come to think of her pieces as "wearable art" rather than "just jewelry," which she feels allows her greater creativity when designing and working on her pieces. Watts' work is also a reflection of what she's into or going through at the moment she makes the piece. Music, emotions and paintings are starting points for many pieces, as is the desire to test out a new stitch.

"I'm very ADD when it comes to my craft, learning new techniques constantly and playing with the results," she said. "I guess you could call it contemporary tradition! I do everything from pieces that look vintage to incorporating computer and watch parts into my pieces."

Watts has ventured into cold-connected metal work, wire wrapping and silver clay but always returns to the beads, elaborating on traditional designs and creating her own. Her work has been featured in many national and local magazines, media and Internet outlets. She also filmed a segment for HGTV's "That's Clever!" which is tentatively scheduled to air in February 2009. Jama is a winner of several awards for her pieces over the last few years, she is an active member of beading and art associations. She also enjoys teaching jewelry-making classes at the local community education center. Jama's work can be found in her own gallery These Precious Things in Lebanon, KY, as well as in several retail outlets throughout Kentucky.

An article by Jama Watts
 
Beaded jewelry by Jama Watts
 
Website: www.jamawatts.com
 
Gallery: www.thesepreciousthings.com
 
Etsy Shop: www.thesepreciousthings.etsy.com
 
Email: jamama@gmail.com

Being creative seems to run in Galina Kolmogorova's family - her mother says that she takes after her grandmother with crafting. She has been knitting and cross-stitching since she was a child and began making jewelry after removing beads from a sweater she'd knitted. When she did not like the beads on the sweater, she found an Internet pattern for a necklace and began her new craft. Although she never believed she could create her own designs and has just begun to sell her jewelry, her relatives and friends are often found showcasing her work.

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Galina was always good at math, geometry and drawing and combined with her interest in ancient Greek architecture those skill became the foundation for her classical designs. She now carried a pencil and paper with her everywhere so that she can draw designs and patterns from the things around her that inspire her.

Born in Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, Galina grew up in Leningrad. She moved to sunny Greece with her husband and now lives in Saloniki with her children, Janis and Tatiana.

Geometric bracelets by Galina Kolmogorova
 
Email: iapanafania@mail.ru