Customer Reviews

Beads: Make Your Own Unique Jewelery

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

 

 

Ms. Tomalin provides some beautiful projects to complete for the more advanced beader. However, there are several technical flaws in the book worth mentioning because they can confuse the reader. There are typographical errors, British- English terms (which might be foreign to the American-English reader), and references that appear in the text but do not appear in the illustrations. In several instances Ms. Tomalin refers the reader in the text to see illustrations labelled "(a)", "(b)", "(c)", etc. but the illustrations are not labeled as such so the reader does not know which one is "(a)", "(b)" or "(c)", etc. I also found the instructions for the knotting projects fairly difficult to follow. (I read one set of instructions several times and could not understand them). Bead thread measurements specified for certain projects are incorrect or disproportionate to the finished project. In one project Ms. Tomalin instructs the reader to use 6 strands (3 doubled stands) of 60" thread for a knotted choker measuring 18" when completed. That's 5 feet of thread for a 18" knotted choker! Had this book been properly edited, it could have been a 5-star book!

My sister Pamela, who was living in Singapore at the time, gave me this book for Christmas soon after my daughter Maggie and I started our beaded jewelry business. Not knowing that much about jewelry construction at the time, this book became my primer for techniques and ideas. Over the years, I have returned to Beads! for a refresher anytime that my ideas start to run out.

Stefany has a keen sensitivity toward bead history and craftsmanship. She includes interesting photographs of ancient beads and contemporary beads and jewelry. One photo of English lace-bobbin spangle beads is worth at least an hour's study time. The variety of glasswork is so amazing on these bobbin beads which helped lace weavers to remember the order of their threads.

I have Stefany to thank for two awards I won for two necklaces, both made with beads I crafted using the papier roule' technique she shows on page 73. A long, narrow triangle of paper is rolled with glue with the long point on the outside of the bead and the short base on the inside. Using interesting paper for your papier roule' results in a very pretty bead.

The detailed glossary, bead history timeline, and appendices are worth the price of this book.

The patterns were not well done, you need to really look at the pattern. Of course the book is outdated but the style can be updated by choosing 'newer' style beads and colors.