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Corundum is a rock-forming mineral. It is one of the naturally transparent materials, but can have different colors when impurities are present. Transparent specimens are used as gems, called ruby if red and padparadscha (sapphire) if pink-orange. All other colors are called sapphire, e.g., "green sapphire" for a green specimen. The name "corundum" is derived from the Tamil word KURUVINDAM or Sanskrit word KURUVINDA meaning ruby.

Because of corundum's hardness, it can scratch almost every other mineral. It is commonly used as an abrasive on everything. Corundum for abrasives is mined in Zimbabwe, Russia, Sri Lanka and India. Historically it was mined from deposits in North Carolina, USA and in Craigmont, Ontario, Canada. Four corundum axes dating back to 2500 BCE from the Liangzhou culture have been discovered in China. The surfaces of the axes are remarkably smoothly polished.

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In 1837, Marc Antoine Gaudin made the first synthetic rubies. The Verneuil process developed in 1902 by the French chemist Auguste Verneuil, also called flame fusion, allows the production of flawless single-crystal sapphires, rubies and other corundum gems of much larger size than normally found in nature.

Because of the simplicity of the methods involved in corundum synthesis, large quantities of these crystals have become available on the market causing a significant reduction of price in recent years. Apart from ornamental uses, synthetic corundum is also used to produce mechanical parts (tubes, rods, bearings, and other machined parts), scratch-resistant optics, scratch-resistant watch crystals, instruments, windows for satellites and spacecraft (because of its transparency in the ultraviolet to infrared range), and laser components.

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Jeanine Bollen, Bekkevoort, Belgium
Fashion Colorworks 2015
First Place Winner in Beaded Jewelry Category
for Dance Of Dolphins Necklace

Jeanine says, "I live in a little village in a Dutch speaking region in Belgium. I have three sons and seven grandchildren. After my high-school graduation I studied mathematics, physics and computer science, and for many years I have worked as IT software developer and later as IT system engineer. There was a very little space for creativity in my job.

But I come from a family of architects and creativity has always been with me. In my spare time I did some needlework sewing and knitting for my children and myself but my favorites were art knitting and crocheting. No pattern was too difficult for me!

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In 2007 I retired but remained active in the computer business for a few years working as a web designer for the school of my grandchildren. Developing children's games and drawing pictures on the computer led to creative media of my childhood: drawings and beads. As a child, I liked little beads, I still have a box of pony beads and a wooden loom, so no wonder that now when I have free time, beading have become my passion.

In 2009 I bought a book about jewelry making because I wanted to replace the old freshwater pearls in my mother's golden necklace. It was a little book but I liked the examples there and purchased the pearls, some glass beads and findings.

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I repaired the necklace and even strung a few necklaces from the glass beads, but surfing over the Internet I discovered what could be done using seed beads. I've learned the basics of beadweaving by myself and participated in several contests in a local bead shop and won a few first prices with my strung and beadwoven items. My family was enthusiast and I awarded my loved ones with the necklaces and bracelets. I could even sell some.

Trying to learn more jewelry techniques, I gathered a lot of documentation in the Internet, took a class in making glass beads and also an art clay class. I made a small bead embroidery piece "Blooming Pond" and entered a Swarovski contest in the UK to test my skills and was selected as one of the finalists. The year after I sent in a bead weaving Mystic Night necklace and again I was selected as a finalist..."

Full article by Jeanine Bollen
 
Beaded jewelry by Jeanine Bollen
 
Email: jeanine.bollen@telenet.be
 
Facebook: facebook.com/LadyBeetleBeads

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Alina Gorshkova, Solikamsk, Perm region, Russia
Fashion Colorworks 2015
First Place Winner in Beaded Objects and Accessories
for Alkonost's Song Handbag

Alina says, "I live in a small town of Solikamsk, Russia, and for a couple of years I cannot imagine my life without beads. Who would have thought? My plans and dreams have changed as the weather in autumn; I considered I would be a writer, ecologists, cartoonist, designer; but I had no idea that I would be inspired the creation of jewelry!

But, of course, the love to art and desire for creativity have always been in me. After graduating from high school I enrolled in an art school, and this step was a turning point in the development of my tastes and interests. Once I doubted whether it was necessary to enter the Faculty of Painting, but now I understand how much artistic education gave me - elementary knowledge of the composition, color science, art styles are very helpful in my work.

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The first try in the creation of jewelry was making flowers from organza, funny and a little naive brooches from felt. It went more serious when I tried to work with leather. Plastic and pleasant, it is still my lovely material for creativity. Almost half of my goods is exactly the flowers of leather and suede.

In addition, I have been creating wedding adornments in different techniques. I haven't consider beading seriously until I came across the pictures of bead embroidery by Guzel Bakeeva. It seemed quite incredible that you can create such grandiose, fascinating works from beads - plain material for children as I thought then!

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By chance I found a small competition and I decided to embroider epaulettes and enter the contest. Not having read a single line of theory, without taking any beading class, I confidently started beading. I could not get enough of what happened, but now it scary to remember: no sketches, curve lines from Chinese beads, no edging, - I just didn't know what it was necessary!

But it's always interesting to figure out everything by yourself and to take the bar higher than capable of doing. The higher ambitions, the steeper the result. And although during these two years working with beads I've not made it often and I created not many jewelry items, but every one of them I've done the most carefully and meticulously, learning new techniques and methods. I believe this approach is correct, it is better to have a few interesting beadworks than to create many of the same type..."

Full article by Alina Gorshkova
 
Beaded jewelry by Alina Gorshkova
 
Email: shua666@mail.ru
 
Blog: livemaster.ru/myshop/alinagorshkova

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