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Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass that is produced when lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth. Obsidian is hard and brittle; it therefore fractures with very sharp edges, which had been used in the past in weapons, and are still used as surgical scalpel blades. Obsidian is mineral-like, but not a true mineral because as a glass it is not crystalline; in addition, its composition is too complex to comprise a single mineral. It is sometimes classified as a mineraloid.

Pure obsidian is usually dark in appearance, though the color varies depending on the presence of impurities. It's usually dark green to brown to black color. Very few samples are nearly colorless. In some stones, the inclusion of small, white, radially clustered crystals in the black glass produce a blotchy or snowflake pattern (snowflake obsidian). Obsidian may contain patterns of gas bubbles remaining from the lava flow. These bubbles can produce interesting effects such as a golden sheen (sheen obsidian) or an iridescent, rainbow-like sheen (rainbow obsidian).

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Obsidian can be found in locations which have experienced eruptions: in Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Chile, Greece, El Salvador, Guatemala, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Scotland and the United States.

Obsidian was valued in Stone Age cultures because, like flint, it could be fractured to produce sharp blades or arrowheads. Like all glass and some other types of naturally occurring rocks, obsidian breaks with a characteristic conchoidal fracture. It was also polished to create early mirrors. Modern archaeologists have developed a relative dating system, obsidian hydration dating, to calculate the age of obsidian artifacts.

Obsidian is also used for ornamental purposes and as a gemstone. It possesses the property of presenting a different appearance according to the manner in which it is cut: when cut in one direction it is jet black; in another it is glistening gray. "Apache tears" are small rounded obsidian nuggets embedded within a grayish-white perlite matrix.

We continue featuring Fashion Colorworks 2011 winners, and today we are interviewing the Second Place Winners. Angelika Motzkin from Israel is the Second Place winner in Beaded Objects category, she is already well known artist in beading world and she was our guest in March, 2010. Svetlana Karimova from Poland was a participant of the Fashion Colorworks last year, she did a great job, but this year she has surpassed herself and won the Second Place in Finished Jewelry category. We were happy to have bead artists from Japan in our contest; they create intricate and exceptional beadwork. We were right, the Japanese bead artist Fumiko Sekine came Second in Seed Bead category! So, Second Place Winners, from left to right: Fumiko Sekine, Svetlana Karimova, Angelika Motzkin.

1. Have you ever taken part in bead competitions? If so, in which ones?

Fumiko:
I've never challenged to entry any bead competitions.

Svetlana:
Yes, I've got some experience. The first contest where I risked to submit my beadwork to was Fashion Colorworks 2010. Later on there were international Haute Couture Beading Contest 2010 and Fairy Beads 2011, after that three my contest entries were published in June's issue of the Fashion Magazine. The last contest I participated was the challenge held by Polish online bead shop www.beading.pl where my earrings came third.

Angelika:
I participated in contests "Colors of Soul" in Minsk, "Magic beads" in Moscow and Kiev, and Bead Dreams 2009 where I made the final.

2. Do you think it is important for you to participate in contests? Why?

Fumiko:
Yes, of course. I wanted to try how my beadwork was regarded and also to showcase my work to people.

Svetlana:
I think it's very important. The first is the ability to express themselves, or, as they say, the ability to see the others and be seen. Secondly, a competition is a very powerful incentive to development, an answer to the question to himself: "I wonder if I can do?" and then the desire to do something special, amazing. And thirdly, it's just fun!

Angelika:
Yes, I think I need to participate in exhibitions and competitions to test my craftsmanship and abilities.

3. Why did you decide to participate in the Fashion Colorworks Contest?

Fumiko:
A friend of mine told me about that competition, I liked it and decided to give it a try.

Svetlana:
After my first Fashion Colorworks 2010 I decided I would definitely take part in the competition in 2011. I really liked the friendly atmosphere of this contest, besides the apparent complexity of the color combination makes one think of the careful selection of media and design. And yet I really wanted to show what I could learn over the past year.

Angelika:
Taking part in "Fashion Colorworks" was my another test for my possibilities as well as for the quality of my teaching because some of my students also submitted their beadworks.

Full interview with Second Place Winners
 
Beadwork by Fumiko Sekine
 
Beadwork by Svetlana Karimova
 
Beadwork by Angelika Motzkin

Sugarloaf Craft Festivals

October 14, 15, 16, 2011
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Mont. Co. Fairgrounds

October 28, 29, 30, 2011
Somerset, New Jersey
Garden State Exhibit Ctr.

Juried Fine Art & Craft Festivals since 1976. Find the unique handcrafted artwork of thousands of American Artists! Decorative creations for home & garden, exceptional fine art & designer crafts!