Jewelry Making Book Review
This jewelry making book review will compare some of the jewelry making books out there and, hopefully, give you an idea of which book you might want so you don't waste your money.
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I don't have much time for jewelry making classes, so I've learned mostly from books. I've used all the books that I’ve reviewed below so you'll be getting a real review not just a rewrite of what's written on the back of the book!
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Exquisite Beaded Jewelry
Well, the pieces in this jewelry making book certainly are exquisite! Very unusual and contemporary looking. It's a large book, over 100 pages with many different designs and has a good portion in the front dedicated to the basics of beaded jewelry making. I found that either the designs were too basic or too complicated for me. At the back are some wild freeform necklaces made with seed beads and other types of beads, but the instructions for making them are rather vague. The back is a good section for beeders that want to get an idea of some techniques and then go on to make their own design.
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Jewels In Peyote Stitch
This jewelry making book is for anyone who wants to work with seed beads exclusively. It has several designs that include necklace, bracelet and earrings. The patterns are right in the book as are instructions on the peyote stitch. I like the book for it's instructions and I did bead one of the bracelets, but I didn't care for all the patterns (the peacock one was my favorite and the bracelet looks much better in person than in the photos in the book!).
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Beading with Varvara - Coraling Technique
This jewelry making book gives instructions for 10 variations based on the popular Russian Coraling technique. I fell in love with this type of jewelry when I was on vacation in Florida last year and finally invested in the book. It gives great instructions on this wonderful jewelry that looks like branches of coral (thus the name!). I will say that it takes forever to make this stuff so if you don't care for the look then this book is not for you. Here's a photo of the piece I made using these instructions:
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Bead Basics
This
Can Do Crafts book is very short - only about 9 pages but has tons of great photos and some really cute designs. Even for a small books there's over 32 designs with variations and the descriptions are very good. It has diagrams that show how to do the basics in beading so even the earliest beginner can use this book. There is quite a variety in the designs, but I soon got bored and found that I wanted something with more complicated patterns. I think the book is out of print now......
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Articles:
Making Beaded Earrings
Step by step instructions on how to make earrings
Earring Making Supply Needs
What you'll need to make earrings
Jewelry Making Wire
Learn about the different types of wire you can use to make jewelry
Make A Memory Wire Bracelet
Learn how easy it is to make one of these fashionable bracelets.
Making Beaded Jewelry
Step by step instructions on how to make a necklace
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