Customer Reviews

The Art & Soul of Glass Beads: 17 Bead Artists Share Their Inspiration & Methods

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

While I do believe that this book has merit, it is as a JEWELRY MAKING BOOK, not as a bead making book. I feel that the Title of the book is misleading.....to me, a "Bead Artist" is a person who MAKES beads, not a person who makes jewelry with beads. That is a "JEWELRY ARTIST". A small point, but significant, since this book is listed under "Lampwork". Nice photographs, and as I said, the book has merit if you are looking for some VERY SIMPLE stringing ideas.

I too wish I had read past the first reviewer. Must have been a born optimist!! The best thing about this book, THE PRICE. What a total waste of my time. I learned stringing beads as a toddler! I was looking for a GLASS BEAD BOOK and how to MAKE THEM. Why not put this book with the stringers! Shame on you Amazon for leading us down the wrong path. No wonder this book did not have pictures of the inside. shame shame shame!

If you have ever admired art glass beads and wanted to learn to string them, The Art and Soul of Glass Beads will certainly get you started. Sixteen amazing lampwork artists talk about their own creativity, what got them started and share a few tips and advise on where to go to find proper equipment, glass and get help along the way. Many of these artists pour out their "souls" and share their beads as well as their experiences as they struggled to learn methods to this ancient craft as well as how to buy their beads for use in your own work. The book also has lots of projects for art bead jewelry makers. The book has easy to follow jewelry directions, illustrations, glossaries and how-tos. The photography is very high quality. I would say that anyone interested in art glass beads as a craft would find the book helpful. I enjoyed each artist's own narrative. It was a very personal look at glass bead jewelry: art and soul.

I should have read the other reviews first. If you are looking for a book to outline and explain the technique of glass bead making, THIS IS NOT THE BOOK!!!! Only buy this if you want some pictures of beads or are interested in making jewerely.

This is a terrific book for anyone who appreciates the art of lampworking, especially for those of us who collect these beautiful beads. There are short bios of the featured artists, along with examples of their work and tips for other lampwork artists. Being a collector of fine lampwork beads, I was delighted to see the faces and read the stories of so many talented artists I have come to "know" over the years. This book is a "must have" for bead lovers, jewelry designers, and lampwork connoisseurs, and would make a wonderful gift for anyone who appreciates glass artistry!
I HIGHLY recommend this book!

After familiarizing myself with this book and then coming on here to see the reviews, I have to hope that those who see the negative reviews can see that there must be some sort of hidden agenda. After all, how is it that a book is seen both as a "1," or the very worst of the worst, and a "5," the best of the best, and just by happenstance, those who rate it as a "1" plug another book? Susan Ray's book does not ever portray itself as a how-to book on making glass beads. Both the back cover synopsis and the introduction talk about how readers can create "stunning necklaces, earrings, bracelets, eye-glass holders, lariats, and more." It further explains how the book is meant to give you insight into the people (the soul) behind the glass beads (the art). I guess I can see how the large image of some glass beads could lead people to think it is a primer on lampwork, but again, when you read the details, it's clear what it is. I very much appreciated the angle and tone of this book, learning about the people behind the art. And after feeling as though I had been let in on the "secret" of their work, it was wonderfully inspiring to see what I could create with their glass beads. The full-scale color illustrations make it easy to see how each piece is laid out. My only wish (and the reason why this isn't a "5" review) is that a bead key of some sort would have been included with each illustration to better help me know exactly which beads were being used where. Overall, though, this is just a lovely and inspiring book that is well-written and executed in the vein it is meant to be. It is a jewelry-making book that just happens to go beyond the usual how-to format and gives us readers a glimpse into the art and soul of glass beads!

I had high hopes for this book based on the title and initial limited content previews. I have been a glass beadmaker since 1998 and although not a master of the craft by any means I would have liked to seen beads that were better thought out and constructed than the ones offered in this book. Most of the craftsmanship offered in this book appeared to need a little more work with the exception of a few artists. The photography was semi-professional at best the cover of the book that I got in the mail appears to be a "scan" of a bead. Apologies if it is not --- glass is notoriously hard to capture on any media digital or film. Scanning is fine for a personal website or an online auction but incorporated into a published work.....UNACCEPTABLE. I hope that the authors will stay true to their original concept of the art and soul but this initial attempt falls very short. There are instructions for making completed pieces with (well done) but incredibly unnecessary computer graphic illustrations for the projects. I was not inspired and I cannot in good conscience recommend this book to my students. I do urge the authors to rethink this concept and try, try again.

As a neophyte to beading, I am constantly searching for books that combine inspiration with achievability. This book blends both qualities with its easy to decipher illustrations and colorful photography. The insight into the designers behind the creation made me feel that beading and jewelry making will become more than just a passing hobby for me. For those who begin by purchasing glass beads by shopping at mass market stores, this book helps educate the reader to types of beads on the market and train our eyes to seek out and truly appreciate the art that goes into making glass beads. This book also contains one of the instructions to help the beginner beaders. From basic stringing to the glossary of beads, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in beading. I consider this book as important as a good pair of pliers that will become part of my tool box.

This is a delightful book representing 14 of the most creative lampwork artists. Tamara Knight's work is amazing! I recently learned about lampwork and now all of my beading includes some of these fabulous art glass beads. The book gives you a behind the scenes look at the passion of the artists and beautiful jewelry and patterns for you to use and admire. I think it is a MUST HAVE for any bead enthusiast.

Even as a complete newbie to making glass beads, this book left me cold. I don't quite know who it's target audience is meant to be - people who make glass beads? or people who string them?

Either way, it fails miserably. The cover promises that the artists inside will share inspiration and methods. There is precious little of the latter that I can see.

The photography is dissapointing - many images are grainy or reproduced too small to be of any use. Each project featured shows you a photo and an illustration of the finished jewellery (usually necklaces) - but doesn't tell you how the beads are made or even anything much about stringing them, other than a list of what spacer beads the maker used.

With such a promising front cover - this book was a dissapointment. This is no disrespect to the artists featured, just the book seemed to have no purpose and no real information to impart to the reader other than the feelings each artist has about their work.