The Book of Beads: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Beads and Jewelry Making [Hardcover]

Janet Coles (Author), Robert Budwig (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1990

From the simplest rope of shimmering jet to the opulence of a pair of rainbow-colored earrings, The Book of Beads is a celebration of the beauty and diversity of beads. In lavish photographs, this book catalogs a vast assortment of the world's beads and shows you how to create a wide variety of stunning jewelry.

To help you identify beads and select those you would like to use in your jewelry making, The Book of Beads includes a spectacular full-color photographic guide to more than 1,000 rare, ethnic, and contemporary beads, detailing their origins and special features.

The Book of Beads sets out the indispensable guidelines for creating your own imaginative jewelry designs. It shows how to select and match beads by shape and weight and high-lights effective color mixes.

The core of the book is a series of exciting practical projects showing how to make jewelry for everyday and evening wear, as well as holidays and other special occasions. There are original design ideas for Christmas and wedding jewelry, imaginative creations based on ethnic themes, ideas for beading fabric and accessories, and much, much more. A photographic section guides you step by step through the basic jewelry-making and beading techniques.

The Book of Beads is a stunning and invaluable sourcebook of practical information and inspirational ideas -- the essential companion for every bead enthusiast.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This stunning volume utilizes glorious color photos to catalog all types of beads (glass, wood, metal, ceramic, natural, semiprecious, plastic, novelty, and collectible), offer design guidelines on planning jewelry (considerations of bead shape, texture, size, weight, and color), and document various practical considerations (findings, equipment, basic how-tos of creating earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and brooches). The section on themes and special occasions, complete with directions for each project, features designs for evening wear, summer styles, holiday looks, weddings, children's items, and African- and Indian-inspired pieces. Even the purely informational and visual spreads (those without actual how-to instructions) offer endless inspiration and ideas for beaded creations.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First edition. edition (August 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671705253
• ISBN-13: 978-0671705251
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for beginners. Super photos!, August 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Beads: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Beads and Jewelry Making (Hardcover)

This book has multipage spreads on every imaginable type of bead--by material, color, and style--accompanied by exquisite photographs. It also tells you how to rejuvenate jewelry. My favorite section is "Techniques," at the back of the book. It has clear photographs (not sloppy drawings like some books) of findings and equipment, plus basic instructions for making earrings, necklaces, etc., as well as beading on fabric. There are books that go into greater detail on technique, but for someone like me who wants to comprehend the full range of beads and materials available, plus basic how-to, it's terrific!

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait to make this stuff!, August 31, 2002

By 

S. Brand "sandra807" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Book of Beads: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Beads and Jewelry Making (Hardcover)

This bead book is like an encyclopedia and gallery in one. I love looking through its wonderful photos of beads and jewelry, and it has added to my store of techniques and design ideas. A large section is dedicated to close-up photos of many types of beads with references to their history and cultural background. It makes me more knowledgeable about what I'm getting when I shop for beads.

The next section has a wonderful display of jewelry, mostly necklaces and earrings, in all kinds of styles, materials, colors -- from light and delicate to chunky and bold. I've gotten a lot of ideas from these to copy or create my own designs.

A section at the end explains various jewelry-making techniques with closeup photos and adequate written instructions. I think just a little prior experience would be helpful in following these fairly simple techniques. There are a couple more pages that clearly show a few methods for sewing beads onto fabric. This is a bead book I will keep returning to for browsing and inspiration.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful and informative book, June 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Beads: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Beads and Jewelry Making (Hardcover)

This is the book that got me interested in beads and jewelry makiing many years ago--and I still go back to it. It covers types of beads, while giving some history, and then goes into styles of beaded jewelry. The last part describes what you need to make jewelry and gives some design ideas. Also interesting is a section on recycling old jewelry.

Experienced beaders may find it too simplistic, but overall, it is a wonderful introduction to the world of beads.