a strand of emerald chips and an emerald ring with diamonds (designed by William Weiss).

While diamonds are examined under a loupe to determine if they are flawed, an emerald is examined with the naked eye. If no inclusions can be seen, the emerald is considered to be flawless. Most emeralds will have inclusions, as mentioned above, and most will have fissures that reach the surface of the stone. Almost all emeralds are oiled (coated with a durable oil coating) to enhance the appearance of clarity.

The best emeralds are medium to dark in hue, and distictly green. While emerald can be yellow-green to blue-green, or even offer a hint of red, to be an emerald, it must be green. In the United States, ‘vanadium emeralds’ (beryls whose green colour is derived from vanadium, rather than chromium) have been considered true emeralds since the 1960s. In other parts of the world, the definition of an emerald does not include these ‘vanadium emeralds’. A special filter was developed to distinguish between ‘vanadium emerald’ and traditional emeralds.

Emerald is regarded as the traditional birthstone for May, as well as the traditional gemstone for the astrological signs of Taurus, Cancer and sometimes Gemini. It is also considered by some to be the traditional gift for 20th, 35th, and 55th anniversaries. (The ring in the picture, above, was designed by my father for my mother, on the occasion of their 35th anniversary.)

Emeralds have been said to bring good luck and good health. In ancient Rome, it was sacred to Venus, godess of love and fertility. While much of the lore of emerealds’ power revolves around themes of spring – life, growth, fertility, hope – the emerald has also been said to bring the wearer wisdom. It has also been said to have the power to heal, particularly the heart (physical) and eye, and to be a bridge between two people, creating stronger ties of love.

Never place an emerald in an ultrasonic cleaner or steam cleaner, as these can damage the stone. Emeralds should be cleaned with a soft brush and mild soap, not too frequently (remeber, they fracture easily and are oiled to improve their appearance!). Professional cleaning is always an option, and many jewellery stores will be able to re-oil an emerald for you should it require it.

The Ottawa Artisans Guild is having it’s annual Spring Sale at Lester B. Pearson High School in Orleans (Ottawa), Ontario on April 14th and 15th. Admission is free; we accept donations to the Ottawa Food Bank (non-perishable foods or cash).

This year’s sale will feature works from Elfin’s Garden, Redefined Wood, Rive Designs, Strut Gemstone Jewelry, Thomas Treasures, My Stow ‘n’ Tow, Iron Sunset Forge & Design… the list goes on – over 50 local artists and artisans will be on hand with their art!

All members of the Ottawa Artisans Guild are local to Ottawa, creating their art and supporting the local community. A collection of special peices will be on display in the foyer showcasing some of the outstanding talent of our membership.

It costs nothing to look, and we love to talk about our work, so come on out and take advantage of this opportunity to view (and buy) local art!

While aquamarine itself is fairly common and can be found almost anywhere beryls are found, the most desirable shades of aquamarine are the darker blues, called maxixe, which of course are rare and relatively expensive. These crystals will lose their colour when exposed to high heat or sunlight, but the colour can be recovered with irradiation.

Aquamarine naturally occurs in shades of yellow (called Heliodore) and pink (Morganite). Paler blue stones can be heat treated to enhance the blue colour, and pink, green, or yellow beryls can be irradiated to make them more valuable.

Beryls, including emeralds, derive their green colour from chromium and iron. It may seems strange, but it is the impurities of iron that give aquamarine its colour. Differing quantities and types of impurity in the iron will give different shades of blue. While most aquamarines on the market are faceted, stones cut en cabochon may display a cat’s eye effect (chatoyancy) or a star pattern (asterism).

Aquamarine has a Mohs hardness of 7.5 to 8, which makes is an excellent choice for nearly any jewellery application.

Common locations for beryl, including aquamarine, include Sri Lanka; Russia; India; Madagascar; and in various locations throughout South and North America.

Aquamarine is commonly beleived to protect people at sea and enhance contentment, particularly in relationships, and is said to enhance honesty and faithfulness. It is also said to provide the wearer with foresight, courage, intelligence, and youthfulness, and to lower anxiety and reduce the effect of poisons. Aquamarine is the modern birhtstone for March, as well as the birthstone for Scorpio, and is suggested for the 16th and 19th wedding anniversaries.

Starting with this month, I intend to discuss one material every other month. This month, I will discuss…Aquamarines.

Want me to talk about a particular material? Email me or leave a comment – I’d be happy to look into it for you!

Thanks to a few small rodents, we are all looking forward to spring-blooming flowers actually blooming in Spring this year, and, in celebration, I am creating flowers of every description! Chainmaille (Japanese 12-in-1, aslo called Hana Gusari), beaded, wire-wrapped…there may even be some polymer clay flowers in the offing.

This month Maiden Star will once again be vending at the Dancers’ Bazzar (see event listing, to the right). I am working on a few new chainmaile pieces for this, as well as developing a new design for the Snowflake Ball, which will be held in April.

A few new items will be posted on Etsy this weekend, including the addition of a “Request custom item” link – now you can request that perfect item, custom made for you, through Etsy. I will also be offering Gift Certificates on the Etsy store.

Spring is the season of change and action, so keep an eye out for new things to come!

Not to worry – I have a show booked now for January 28th – check that sidebar! – and have a lot of projects planned over the next two weeks. I have jewellery to work on, displays to plan, an office to clean, and website and Etsy updates to make!

Now that I’m rested up and all the gifts are opened, it’s time to get to work. Over the next few days you won’t see a lot of changes here – they’ll be happening mostly behind the scenes, and I’ll be doing some work over on the Ottawa Artisans Guild website.

I’ll keep you posted (pun intended) on new developments as they arise.

I have taken the past two weeks off, but will be getting back to it, making new jewellery, updating the site, posting more on the Etsy page (and looking into other venues for online and retail sales – hint to retail shop owners out there!). If the uploads seem a little long in coming, I have a lot of administrative work to do to – building the new inventory database will take some time, but I promise I won’t let it interfere with creating new jewellery. After all, the sparkly stuff is what this is all about!

I will update the calendar with new events as I book them, so keep an eye on that right-hand column. I expect to be posting a show for January soon, and have plans for April… still working on the months in between. And for those in the Kingston area, I do plan to be at the Womens Art Festival again this year. (Can someone please arrange for it not to rain this time?)

I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday season, that you have the chance to spend time with those you love, and that you get to enjoy the warmth that can always be found in good company, even on the coldest of nights.

We are all looking forward to this event – a spacious, well-lit area full of great artworks, the anticipation of holiday gifts… what’s not to love?

This is my last show of 2011. Come on out, see what I have to offer, and let me know what you’d like to see next time! I love doing custom work, and trying new things.

I’ll be building my schedule for 2012 soon, so stay tuned!

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This event features approximately 70 artisans, working in diverse media – our Guild members include jewellers; knitters; fabric artists; doll makers; painters; photographers; a blacksmith; sculptors; wood turners, burners, workers and carvers – the list goes on. Artists participating in the Guild shows can come from any of these disciplines, and the variety is always stunning.

Naturally, so is the workmanship – to be in one of the Guild’s 4 juried shows held throughout the year, artists must be members of the Guild. To join the Guild requires that artworks pass a careful jurying process. Works are reviewed at shows, as well, to ensure that items for sale at our events meet our high standards for quality.

At Lester B. Pearson school, we take over both gyms for this Fall sale – two large spaces full of wonderful, creative artworks means there is something for every shopper and every person on your list. Our artists are on hand in their booths throughout the sale and are very happy to answer any questions you may have about their art. Most will produce custom works for you upon request, which means (depending, of course, on the time involved in production) you can have that custom artwork delivered in time for the holidays!

If you miss this one, there are two more coming! Both in their second year, the Ottawa Artisans Guild will be holding a sale at the River Rock Inn (Rockland) on November 26 and 27, and at St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School (Spratt at Limebank, in the south of Ottawa) on December 3 and 4. There will be a different selection of artists attending each sale, so if you are looking for a greater variety why not attend all three?

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I am also getting ready (despite this annoying cough) for the Women in Business Trade Show, which is taking place this Saturday, October 22 at the Nepean Sportsplex, Halls A&B (map below). It should be a great day! I’ll be sharing a table with Drakestail Jewellery. Other vedors include Norwex, My Stow-N-Tow, Scentsy and many more. Information on the event can be found on their website at www.wibotradeshow.webs.com. While these are all businesses run by women, they are not exclusively for women. There are some great ideas here for Christmas gifts (I know, you don’t want to think about Christmas yet, but if you’ve ever wanted that special custom item for a loved one, now’s the time to order it!)

If you are interested in seeing what this event is all about, come and check it out!

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