September’s Birthstone is Sapphire -but what exactly makes it a sapphire?

Types of Sapphires

The mineral Corundum can be found in many different colors due to trace amounts of other elements. When those elements create a Red color we call this a Ruby, when they create a Pinkish-Orange color we call the gem a Padparasha. Any other color is usually referred to as a Sapphire.  So in essence a Ruby is a Red Sapphire!

What makes it a Sapphire is the chemical make up. Corundums are a crystalline form of Aluminum Oxide (Woah, sounds complicated! You can just think of Aluminum Oxide as the ingredients that make the structure and hardness of Sapphire). However, Aluminum Oxide alone doesn’t create the wonderous array of colors seen in Sapphires. It is the trace impurities (that are not aluminum oxide) that contribute to the color creation we see in Sapphires, Rubies and Padparasha Gemstones.

Want another fun fact?

Sapphires are often used in sandpaper and nail files! So you may have small amounts of sapphires already in your home. Since corundum minerals have a hardness of 9.0 on the Mohs Scale they can scratch almost any surface.

Want to know how to make your own beads?  With these four easy steps, you will be a pro in no time!

This is a great project for a rainy day or a lazy sunday afternoon.  These beads are easy to make, good for the enviroment, and will not burn a hole in your wallet.

Step 1: Selecting your paper and materials to make the beads

First collect the following:

• A colourful page from a used magazine or an old colourful poster. If you want to make beads of a full colour, you must find a full colour page of poster. For example to get ALL blue beads, pick up a page with photo of the ocean! Vogue and House and Home, or some old teenage music posters are my favorite. The thicker the paper the fatter the bead!
• A colourful page from a used magazine or an old colourful poster. If you want to make beads of a full colour, you must find a full colour page of poster. For example to get ALL blue beads, pick up a page with photo of the ocean! Vogue and House and Home, or some old teenage music posters are my favorite. The thicker the paper the fatter the bead!
• Scissors
• Pen
• Ruler
• Needle or toothpick
• Clear varnish – most clear varnishes from local store will do or nail varnish.
• Fishing wire/plastic wire or some sort of thread similar width as your needle or toothpick

Step 2: Measuring and cutting the paper for the beads

This is the part where put your paper down on a flat surface and equip yourself with a pen and a long ruler.
Please refer to the RED triangle in the illustration on the vogue page for these instructions:
Use a normal thin ballpoint pen, not a thick marker!
Mark a 2cm point long from the a top corner at (C) , and a 1cm point along from the bottom corner at (B) . Take your ruler and draw a line from point A to B and C respectively, and you will have drawn a perfect triangle. Continue this routine, until you end up with a zigzaging block of triangles throughout the page.
Cut your triangles neatly out, and discard the uneven one marked blue in the illustration.

Step 3: Rolling the Paper Bead

Take your needle, or toothpick. I recommend needle, as the string or thread you string them on (for varnishing) must be equal in width. Starting at the thickest end of the strip, start rolling it tightly around the needle. Using your nails to catch it in at first, ensuring to keep the paper central. Put a dab of glue at the end and press down on it for a few seconds to hold the bead in place. (liquid paper glue works best).

Step 4: Varnish, leave to dry and finish

Thread all your beads on plastic wire or string. I recommend a thickish plastic, fishing type thread as the beads will slide off easily once dry. Whatever you chose to use, ensure it does not allow for the varnish to seep in and bock the holes. Once fully strung, start varnishing, we use a brush and give them at least 2 coats of varnish. Leave to dry for 2-3 days, and your beads are ready to use!

Once a year, people from all over Connecticut find their way to our quaint town of South Norwalk for The Sono Arts Celebration.

Tonight, will kick of the 38th year.
Two of the main streets in town get shut down, allowing people to walk thru the streets and enjoy performances, local art, food, & fun.
The mission of the Festival is to develop and expand a clear appreciation of the Arts.
True to the mission, acts are selected for their original music, dance, performance art & theater presentation and they strive to present a diverse & eclectic array of genres.
This unique festival allows local artists to share their special talents, while also drawing in many people to our small town.
There is no better time of year in our area, to get those creative juices flowing & show off what you’ve got.
Come stop by, walk around, and enjoy this beautiful weekend surrounded by local art & talent.

Many of us jewelry lovers want to keep our favorite masterpieces on us at all times.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         It is a common misconception that your jewelry can be worn in the water.  With summer in full effect, many of us forget to take our jewelry off when the temptations of the beach and or pool hit.  As tempting as it is to jump in the water with your jewelry on, DON’T DO IT!  No jewelry should be worn in the water and yes, this goes for the shower too.

When you jump into the water the chemical reaction between the metal and the water will oxidize your jewelry.  This will leave your jewelry tarnished and looking a lot older than it is.  Not to mention you don’t want it to turn green!

I promise you if you listen to this one simple tip your relationship with your favorite jewelry with last a longer and healthier life.

With economic times being tight, we are all looking to save money in any way possible.  We all come across those strands of gemstones that we envision wrapping around our necks and hanging from our ear wires.  The reality is, right now the price often turns us away.

Bead holes can present a variety of challenges when beading. Hole sizes vary according to the material of the bead. Gemstones and pearls are generally sold on the basis of weight so producers drill the smallest hole possible. Gemstone holes are hand drilled from each side of the bead until they meet in the middle so the hole size is thinner in the center of the bead. This can make stringing frustrating. Similarly, bead holes often have rough interiors that fray your stringing material over time leading to necklaces that break. Having a bead reamer at hand for your beading projects could save you a lot of time and money in the long run. The bead reamer acts like a circular nail file and it smoothes out through edges of the existing bead hole. If you use the bead reamer extensively you can file away some of the bead’s body to enlarge the hole. Obviously, this will only work on beads that are made of a material that can be filed – gemstones, pearls, bead, bone and soft materials. Lampwork glass beads and metal beads may have their holes smoothed but not enlarged. Always use water to lubricate the diamond bits when you are reaming glass or stone beads. See the technique for using Beadalon’s battery operated bead reamer in their video here.