click to enlarge

A year ago we told you about May gemstone malachite, another gem of this month is emerald. Emerald are a green colored variety of the mineral beryl. Most emeralds are highly included, so their brittleness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor. The word "emerald" comes from Latin SMARAGDUS, via Greek SMARAGDOS, its original source being a Semitic word IZMARGAD or the Sanskrit word, MARAKATA, meaning "emerald" or "green".

Emeralds, like all colored gemstones, are graded using four basic parameters, the four Cs of Connoisseurship; Color, Cut, Clarity and Crystal (the last C, crystal is simply used as a synonym that begins with C for transparency). Emeralds occur in hues ranging from yellowish green to bluish green, but the primary hue must, of course, be green. Only gems that are medium to dark in tone are considered emerald. Light toned gems are known by the species name, green beryl. A fine emerald must possess not only a pure verdant green hue, but also a high degree of transparency to be considered a top gem. Unlike diamond, emerald clarity is graded by eye: if an emerald has no visible inclusions to the eye it is considered flawless.

Emeralds in antiquity were mined by the Egyptians and in Austria, as well as Swat in northern Pakistan. A rare type of emerald known as a trapiche emerald is occasionally found in the mines of Colombia. It is named for the trapiche, a grinding wheel used to process sugarcane in the region. Colombian emeralds are generally the most prized due to their transparency and fire.

click to enlarge

Some of the most rare emeralds come from three main emerald mining areas in Colombia: Muzo, Coscuez, and Chivor. Fine emeralds are also found in other countries, such as Zambia, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and Russia. In the US, emeralds can be found in Hiddenite, North Carolina. In 1998, emeralds were discovered in the Yukon.

The emerald has been a gem of fascination in many cultures for over six thousand years. The earliest reference to emeralds in Western literature come from Aristotle; he stated "An emerald hung from the neck or worn in a ring will prevent the falling sickness (epilepsy). We, therefore, commend noblemen that it be hanged about the necks of their children that they fall not into this complaint."

Throughout history, emeralds have been prized and worn by royalty and celebrities. It was known that emerald was a favorite gem of Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and the Emerald mine in Upper Egypt, rediscovered a hundred years ago near the Red Sea, was one of the earliest emerald occurrences in the human history. In the first century BC, Ptolemy, the King of Egypt, had an emerald engraved with the portrait of Lucullus, the great Roman general. He then presented it to him when Lucullus visited Egypt.

Alexander the Great had a large emerald set into his girdle. Charlemagne had a collection of emeralds, and Henry II, when he was made King of Ireland in 1171, was given a large emerald ring. Queen Elizabeth II had an amazing collection of emerald jewelry. Marlene Dietrich wore her own collection of dramatic jewelry set with huge cabochon emeralds in many of her movies. Grace Kelly was given a 12 carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring from Prince Rainier. And that's not the full story...

Do you think that beading is a women's hobby? Oh, no! Our guest today is Peter Sewell, a brilliant beadweaver from UK. We are glad to introduce Peter to you!

Peter says, "From my 1950s childhood in the industrial north of England the idea of "being artistic" was not encouraged in a boy. This may have been different had my mother, who was a fashion designer at the turn of the decade, lived. She became a victim of tuberculosis - a common illness of the time. My father was a draughtsman, specializing in design of machine tools for lathes etc.

click to see gallery

Although fairly gritty, my formative years were dotted with creativity and artistry, mainly because I spent the long summer holidays with my maternal grandmother's family on a farm in North Yorkshire - halcyon days indeed! As the teens approached it all became a poor second to the lure of motorcycles and leather jackets! This led to a much needed 12 year stint in the Army, and a lot of other extremely manly pursuits followed... until I had a motorcycle accident which managed to slow me down a bit - after which I began to change my perception of what was really important in my life. With no intention of getting back on a motorcycle, and little physical chance of serious manual work again, I had to change my lifestyle rather quickly!

click to see gallery

My wife Nina saw the art bubbling underneath my brash exterior, and encouraged me to enroll on a local college Art course, from which I gained a reasonable qualification and the self awareness to continue along the aesthetic path of color, proportion, and texture. Large canvasses full of oil paints and artificial floral displays somehow miniaturized into jewelry making, which - probably due to my technical upbringing and background - progressed toward the intricacies of seed beading.

click to see gallery

My work is precise and detailed, if it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny it won't be photographed, and the beadweaving styles closest to my aspirations have been gleaned from the historic beadwork of Eastern Europe and Russia. I love the Tsarist "imperialism" style, with its opulence and pomp - I have reached a point now where, even if I don't try to make it so, my work begins to take on the richness of imperial Russia!

I name all my work now, and although I do have a list of Russian girls names, I try to let the piece speak to me - the name has to match how I feel about the piece, and what it portrays, otherwise it would not do justice to many hours of passionate beadweaving!"

Full article by Peter Sewell
 
Email: beadsage@googlemail.com
 
Website: www.beadsage.co.uk
 
Blog: www.petersewell.co.uk
 
Etsy Shop: www.petersewell.etsy.com

Natalia Ivanova is not only a gifted artist, but also shares her talent by teaching others. She created a children's society called "Trunk of Wonders" in which boys and girls learn beading, create designs and make mostly floral beaded "paintings". The society promotes collaboration among the children and their works have won a lot of prizes and have been showcased in many exhibits. Their motto is "We all love beads!"

click to see gallery

Born in Leningrad, her educational background is as an optical devices engineer. However, in 1995 when she and her son were at a childrens' summer camp, there were some Finnish guests from Australia. One of these campers, Ili, knew that Natalia taught sewing and decided to teach her bead weaving basics. Natalia took a few classes from Ili and was very excited to learn a new type of crafting. At the end of the summer Ili gifted all of her bead leftovers and all of her tools to Natalia.

Natalia along with her family members, friends and pupils feel in love with beading. During her time teaching bead crafting, she has experimented with many different media and techniques. Her favorite is beading with wire and beads. Natalia continues to live in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg).

Gallery of bead artwork by Natalia Ivanova
 
Email: nkivanova@mail.ru

2009 Bead & Button Show

May 31 - June 2, 2009
Midwest Airlines Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Do you love fashion and jewelry? Do you have a passion for beautiful accessories? The Bead & Button Show is the largest jewelry and bead show in the nation. Over 370 vendors will be selling one-of-a-kind finished jewelry plus precious gems, pearls, art beads, gold and silver, beading supplies and books. The show will also feature a juried exhibit Bead Dreams 2009 of inspiring bead art and over 500 bead and jewelry classes. Among artists from all over the world at the exhibit are beaded jewelry designers Zoya Gutina and Tatiana Van Iten.

World of Beads VIII: A 20 Year Retrospective

June 19 - 21, 2009
Fashion Institute of Technology
The John E. Reeves Great Hall
West 28th Street between 7th & 8th Aves.
New York, NY 10001

This three-day juried exhibit will feature the unique beadwork of The Bead Society of Greater New York (BSGNY) creative and talented members spanning the 20 years of our organization's existence. They will bring the excitement, passion and beauty of this timeless art form to the public. Beadwork demonstrations and FREE Mini-workshops will be presented throughout the event. Other activities include bead vendors, sale of bead books, raffles and a children's table. Zoya Gutina's beadwork will be also showcased at that exhibition.