Discusses research which showed that the ceramic Alpha-SiAION can form as needles under different conditions of nucleation and growth. Alpha-SiAION usually occurring as equiaxial grains; Practical relevance of research; How Alpha-SiAION ceramics are usually brittle; Search for tough ceramics; Discovery of SiAION ceramics; Comparison of Alpha-SiAION and Alpha-silicon nitride; Shape of grains controlled by choice of sintering additive; Morphology of crystals as not a universal constant. INSET: Hard definitions..