Customer Reviews

The Art of Jewelry Design: From Idea to Reality (Jewelry Crafts)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have just purchased two more copies of this book for two of my beginning students. Ms. Olver shows clearly and elegantly how to approach the design process using one or more sketchbooks. She breaks down the process into steps that make the process less daunting, and so nudges the student to delve deeper than they might otherwise do. The book is also a visual delight, a rich buffet of notebook ideas, projects in process, and finished work. I recommend it for metalsmiths at all levels, and for students in particular.

The title of this book infers that it will help the reader take ideas from the drawing board to a finished piece. I expected insight on how to overcome problems in jewelry design and specific techniques to aid in solving those problems. Unfortunately, that's not what the book delivers. There are a lot of slick photos of some rather bizarre jewelry, but not much information about how the pieces were made. If you are a budding jewelry maker in search of a book to help you create some original jewelry, skip this one.

I purchased this book and found it to be very helpful and inspiring. It truly gives the artistic approach to designing jewelry. There are no step-by-step instructs, it's not that sort of book. Instead, it really opens up your mind to get you thinking of your OWN steps to the creation of your OWN ideas. It covers essential design tools; stages of the design process; elements of design, and creative concepts and is all wrapped up in a beautiful presentation! For someone completely naive to art in jewelry design, pay attention to what it is teaching because it contains valid points. To someone coming in from a point already understanding jewelry, it is a book still worth having because it will make you stretch your creative process and you just may find yourself creating something unique, fresh and new!

It was a true friend that recommended me to get this book. It's relatable information and loads of examples that I craved. I appreciate the intellegent 'you've got to work for design' approach - it affirms that good design is not just a lucky happen chance - but a skill to be refined and appreciated. Elizabeth Olver gives you the tools to aquire the skill. This book will always be at my side!

Really did not like the book -- half of the pictures of such ugly strange unrealistic jewelry... Returned the book at once... Highly recommend this one instead: Techniques of Jewelry Illustration & Color Rendering by Adolfo Mattiello.

I'm an industrial designer, and recently got hired as jewelry designer...

I was searching for a book that gives me a clue of where to start in the jewelry business, so i can know what to do when my boss gives me a notebook and a pencil and ask me "to create"...

what tools you need (not the technical ones... the creative ones), what are the stages of the design process, where can you search for inspiration and how organize your ideas, things that you gotta have in mind to design jewelry, types of jewelry, etc etc etc... After that you will need other books for technical stuff or bring your designs to a professional craftmaker.

Beware, this book is NOT technical, and it won't show you step to step "how to make a pair of earrings", most of the examples of the book are too crazy and unwearable for cotidian life, but i feel this is not the purpose of this book, this book instead will show you how to develope your creativity applied to jewelry...

If you want to learn about design and don't want to just copy what you see, then this is the book. Makes everything easy to understand.

This is an excellent book and would be useful when designing for any field. Although the emphasis is on jewelry, which it treats thoroughly, the techniques and tips could be readily applied toward all 3D and graphic design.
There are not many books which address this subject and even fewer which treat the subject matter so well. This is one of those definative texts which should be on more artists' bookshelves.

First of all, this is a book about design, not fabrication. As the title says, it covers the entire process from generating ideas to a final design. To the author, it does not matter if the readers will fabricate the piece themselves or outsource part or all of the execution. It is also not a book on technical jewelry drawing.

By focusing on jewelry design, this book fills an important gap, considering all the technique and project based publications on the market. The book is easy to use, taking the subject step by step and well illustrated. While some of the pictures are of conceptual jewelry, they are well tied with the topic being explored and are useful for me to question my limits and design prejudices. There is also a special section dedicated to fine jewelry design.

I am very glad to own this book. I use it both as an exercise book and a reference work.

It is lovely designed and printed book, I can tell it right away for I use to work in a print house myslef. Their graphic designer is great! As for contents - well, it basically teaches you how to gather ideas and make your own cool sketch book or scrapbook for those project ideas. NOT what I was looking for. Lots of inspirational works shown, not in a way of tutorials though. Beautiful photographs, nice coffee table book, not actual reference book.