Customer Reviews

The Bead Jewelry Book

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3 star:		(1)
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Stefany has gone and done it again. Like her earlier book, Beads!, she presents many ideas and techniques, but you can easily see how people's interest in beads has increased in these last ten years. Her layout, sprinkled liberally with sharp photographs by Maggie Campbell Pederson, flows smoothly and invites you ever forward in your study. Stefany does not leave you wondering about the beads in the photos, but clearly labels each piece that is pictured.

Stefany begins in her first chapter by describing beads made from natural materials. The second chapter opens with the work of glass bead artists, then moves on to metal, clay and decorated beads. Techniques and styles of beadwork are in the third chapter, then the fourth chapter is devoted to collectible beads.

The techniques Stefany presents are about the only repetition from the older book Beads! that there are in The Bead Jewelry Book, so I would not discourage you from having both books in your personal library. Start saving your chicken bones; page 13 will show you what to do with them.

In the mid 1990ies when beading became popular, there were few books around. At the time this was one of two books by this famous author and bead historian.

Now a new beading book comes out every day practically. So the contents of this book are not the latest rage. Imagine a book without lots of Japanese seed bead projects!

It is more about historic, ethnic beads, large beads, handmade uneven beads, and classics. This book would appeal more to collectors, and bead historians than new beaders who are into Austrian crystals, and 3D seed beading projects that are very popular now.

A practical set of suggestions for combining bead colors is on page 119 "Designing with Colour in Bead Jewellery" section. (Yes, the author is British and uses British spellings.) I found this helpful as a beginning beader.

Having just received this bead jewelry book, I'm very disappointed! I find nothing here to inspire me, and I would rate this book a 1 if it weren't for the good research the author's done on types of beads and materials used in jewelry. Here's what I found in this book; maybe you will see more value in it than I do:

The majority of the book is taken up with descriptions, histories, meanings of beads and materials. There is a section on materials from nature, and necklaces are shown of chicken bones, chili peppers, dried oranges, leaves, etc. A couple pages on shells describes how to cut, file, and drill them for threading. There's a section on how to discern between real and fake materials like coral, amber, jet, ivory, pearls etc. Chapters on metal beads and glass beads spend many pages describing how they are made. A short chapter on polymer clay beads shows examples of items made with them, but gives instructions for only one of the examples.

A following chapter is on the history of jewelry styles in the U.S. throughout the 20th century. Quite a few pictures are shown, but instructions for very few of them are given. The next chapters focus on specific jewelry styles i.e., the liberty necklace, chokers, lacy collar types, and pendants. Although many pictures are shown, some fairly attractive, only one necklace of each photographic display has instructions.

The instructions for the projects are interspersed throughout these chapters, mixed in with the history, etc. of the bead types and styles. For the most part, they are written instructions, rarely accompanied by diagrams, which I think are generally more useful than wordy explanations. The instructions often refer you to see a technique described elsewhere, sometimes in the last chapter of the book which has skimpy instructions for general techniques, along with some diagrams. These are not adequate for beginners.

One somewhat interesting chapter deals with beads used as currency, the symbolic meaning of beads in some cultures, amulets, talismans, healing gems, and documenting your collection of beads. Within this chapter is a page of necklaces made with "junk", and junk it is! The worst of which, in my opinion, is a black cord with the arm of an antique doll hanging on it as a pendant.

On the whole I have found this book to be poorly organized, uninspiring, and useful mainly as an encyclopedic resource if one wants an education about the beads themselves. I have other bead books that do this same job at least as well and also have wonderful projects and instructions.

Nice book, well illistrated. It was everything I expected and helpful to me. I am studing beads for my jewelry making hobby.